The Riotous Rhesus
by jazzyproz
Summary: A Happy Birthday Fic for the wonderful Dharmamonkey! Happy Happy Birthday! When a body is found in the Primate House of the Metro Zoo, the team is called in to investigate. Rated M for later chapter.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello and welcome! Thank you for reading "The Riotous Rhesus"! **

**This story is a birthday fic dedicated to dharmamonkey, and let me tell you, if you're not reading her stuff, you need to look her up and read her Bones fics! She's an amazing author and you will surely enjoy her work! **

**So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MONKEY! In getting to 'know' Monkey through FF & Twitter, I have found a kindred spirit and I wanted to say thanks! Dharmamonkey has been a great supporter of my other works, encouraging me when I feel doubtful about a chapter or passage. We found out that we're the same age (within 6 months) and have very much the same tastes in music and, of course, TV shows like BONES! **

**So, finding inspiration in her name, this little fic was born. I expect it to be wrapped up in 5 chapters, and I hope everyone enjoys, especially the Birthday Girl! **

**This takes place sometime after Booth & Hannah broke up, but he and Brennan are not together. Yet. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bones, I just own this story. **

The young ladies moved quickly through the deserted zoo towards the prep kitchen near the Primate House and indoor exhibit, chatting happily about how they'd spent their weekend. The dew was thick in the early morning air and the dark, heavy storm clouds threatened to break loose any moment.

"So, how was the concert?" Dharma asked her friend, eagerly wanting details.

Jazmyn smiled, letting a small giggle escape from her throat. "Friggin' _amazing_! It was as much a light and laser show as it was a rock concert. You should've seen it, Dharm, it was awesome. I wish you would've gone with me." Her hands grew animated as she spoke, skipping along sideways while talking to her friend. "When I finally woke up on Saturday, I could still feel the pounding in my chest from the drum compressions. It was crazy, dude!" She pounded her open palm against her chest in demonstration to what she was saying.

Dharma laughed as they reached the door leading into the prep kitchen, "That's awesome, I'm so glad you had fun. Was he as hot in person as you expected?" The former high school friends had shared the same celebrity crushes on their favorite band members, and Dharma was, in fact, sorry that she was wasn't able to attend the reunion concert as well; but when she told Jas about her weekend, she was sure her old friend would understand about her sudden cancellation.

They entered the small workspace and began their morning routines of prepping the necessary diets for their resident Rhesus Monkeys when Jazmyn noticed the rosy blush taking over Dharma's face. Eyeing her buddy suspiciously, she knew that there was something she was missing. "What? What happened?"

Dharma's smile grew as she rolled the 55-gallon drum containing the Purina Monkey Chow out from beneath the stainless steel work counter, and she turned back to face her friend. "He called me…I know it was last minute, and I shouldn't have made myself so available… I should've made him wait…but I _had_ to see him again…"

Jas's own smile grew in happiness for her friend. "That's OK! I understand…Did you…did you guys go out?" Her eyebrow cocked as she reached for the fruit from the refrigerator and turned back to the workbench.

Dharma's smile said it all and the girls squealed in unison, betraying their youthful ages of 23 to anyone who may have been an outside observer. They chatted amiably, falling into a familiar rhetoric as they chopped fruit, filled Kong Toys and hollowed-out branches with tasty morsels and peanut butter for the monkeys to play with, and prepared the dry Purina biscuits into carefully measured servings. Carrying their loads to the push-cart, the coworkers left through the back door and took the narrow wooded path that would lead them to the Primate House, eyeing the threatening clouds suspiciously.

As they approached the locked building, the ladies heard the uproarious sounds of the Rhesus Monkeys echoing out from within the building. It had to be the Rhesus families, because the chimps, orangutans and apes were all kept in their outdoor exhibit the previous night. Only the Rhesuses were put inside, in order for their external exhibit to be cleaned and manicured.

"Maybe they can sense the weather turning bad," Dharma mentioned. "You know, animals can usually tell us when a storm is gunna be a doosie."

"Yeah, but in all my time here at the zoo, I haven't heard them _this_ worked up before…" Jas replied warily as she opened the heavy metal door, her recent viewing of the new _Planet of the Apes_ movie still fresh in her mind and freaking her out a little at the potential of primates running wild.

The ladies entered slowly, flipping on the overhead lights, illuminating the cavernous building sector by sector as the buzzing sounds of the fluorescents flickered to life. The bright yellow tiles covering the interior served to reflect the brightness of the lights, affording the keepers a clear view of the large enclosures along the corridor of the house. As was expected, the majority of the Primate House was vacant, the occupants having spent their evening outside. Pushing the stainless steel cart containing their supplies, the ladies slowly walked the distance towards the Rhesus enclosure, observing a great deal of movement and commotion from the monkeys, as they swung into various positions, waiting for their human caretakers to approach.

As the keepers drew nearer, the monkeys grew eerily quiet. Many were perched on platforms affixed to the bars, sitting strait up on their haunches while their intelligent, ever-observant eyes followed the movements of their handlers. Others swung high in the tree which stood in the middle of the display, the gold flecks in their dark hazel eyes flickering as many bared their vicious teeth at the would-be intruders.

"Usually, they get _louder_ at feeding time," Jazmyn leaned towards her friend as she whispered, "what the hell is going on?"

Her coworker didn't verbally answer; she simply shook her head slowly, never tearing her eyes from the cage they were fast approaching.

Stopping in front of the locked gate, Jazmyn felt a chill run down her spine. The scrutinizing gazes from the adult primates, the sharp 1-inch canines threatening anyone who came close, and the angry snarls erupting from their tiny, but powerful, lungs let the ladies know something was definitely askew.

Feeling Jazmyn pulling on her shirt sleeve urgently, Dharma followed her friend's frozen gaze towards the back of the enclosure, where two large females and one large male were standing atop a mound of something initially unrecognizable, snarling and growling in the direction of the volunteers. As the girls moved further down the corridor, so they were standing directly across from the three adult monkeys currently holding their focus, they simultaneously turned to run, exploding in blood curdling screams, which in turn prompted the monkeys to recommence in their ear-numbing shrieks, howls and barks as they swung from branches and bars with renewed excitement.

B/B/B/B

"Aw, are you kidding me? The monkeys _attacked_ someone? This is gonna fuck up a lot of people's opinions on these little guys… I _love_ monkeys… _Parker_ loves monkeys… _Everybody_ loves monkeys, Bones…" Booth whined in complaint as he and his partner entered the Primate House, flashing their credentials to bypass the 'gatekeepers.'

"Monkeys are grossly misunderstood, Booth. The general public seems to be under the impression that they are tamable and make great pets. The truth is monkeys _never_ lose their natural wild instinct, regardless of how young one is when it comes into captivity, or whether or not it's born to a captive mother. They are _wild_ animals, and they deserve to be living their lives out in nature, not locked behind bars for the amusement of humans while living on a diet of monkey biscuits and peanut butter." Her words were curt with thinly veiled distain at the notion of animals being encaged for life.

Booth knew where Brennan stood on the topic of zoos, and through all her lectures and tearing apart of the zoological institutions, he had to give her credit; for years, she still accompanied him and his son to the zoo on the occasions when Parker had insisted they invite Bones along for their outing. Ever since Parker was 4 years old, he'd taken a strong liking to Brennan and loved to see her whenever he stayed with his Dad; hardly a visit passed without at least one meal shared with his Dad's partner. And, much to Booth's relief, Brennan had always refrained from lashing out at the zoo keepers with whom they came in contact, as long as Parker was with them. If his boy wasn't within earshot, however, his partner never failed to throw verbal digs and insults at the employees who contributed to the confinement of otherwise wild animals.

"Now, Bones, you know as well as I do that most of these particular animals would never survive in the wild. They were raised in captivity and wouldn't know how to hunt for their food, they have no wild parental figure to teach them; they would die. So, why not take a sub-par situation and turn it into something educational, huh?" He raised his eyebrows at her while flashing his cheeky charm smile. They'd had this discussion dozens of times and he could pretty much anticipate her response before it ever left her perfectly-shaped lips, so he interrupted her before she could rebut. "I _know_…if the parents hadn't been stolen from their jungle homes to begin with, then this generation, _and_ all of the subsequent offspring of these animals, wouldn't be in the bind they currently find themselves wrapped within…" He smirked at the defiant look that flashed behind her eyes when he took her rebuttal. "But here they are; so we might as well enjoy them while we can, right? And learn from them, as much as possible…"

Brennan snapped her lips closed with a sigh of frustration escaping her nostrils. Immediately, Booth saw a familiar dark veil go up behind her eyes as her back went ram-rod straight. Without a word, Brennan turned towards the commotion at the end of the long Primate House corridor, stalking with a purpose to examine that which she'd been called in to see.

Following close on her heels, Booth's longer stride made it easy to cover the distance with less effort than she used up with her pissed-off gait. He knew that she thought he was making fun of her, she was building a wall; so before she could reach the gathering of people, he caught her elbow gently and paused her mid-stride, turning her to face him slightly. "Hey," he kept his voice low, "I wasn't teasing you, Bones; you know that, right? I know you hate these places, and I wasn't trying to dismiss your feelings. I just… I dunno…" he shrugged, "I was just trying to make you see the other side of the coin."

She wrinkled one side of her nose with a raise of her lip and stared into his deep brown eyes. "I don't know what that means, Booth. What do coins have to do with this case?"

"It's an expression, Bones. Like hearing both sides of a story…There are always two sides to everything. I just wanted to help you see that good things _can_ come from less-than-desirable situations." His eyes pleaded silently with her to understand…as well as for her to believe that he wasn't trying to belittle her beliefs.

After a few seconds passed, and Booth finally dropped his hand from the gentle hold he still had on her elbow, Brennan's eyes softened and she nodded in understanding. They were standing close and when she dropped her eyes, she was staring at the soft curl of his lips. "Thank you, Booth," she whispered, nearly inaudibly, "I appreciate you trying to help me see things differently. I'm sorry I'm so rigid in my convictions. I'm _trying_ to change…" Her voice was hesitant and quiet, her words deliberate.

Booth brought his right hand up and hooked his finger beneath her chin, remembering a time years ago when he'd made the same gesture outside the Royal Diner, letting her know that she was not alone in the world when she thought she didn't deserve a 'family'. He tilted her face upwards, so she would meet his eyes. When Brennan's clear blue-green oceans locked on his, Booth felt his breath hitch and his pulse quicken. For a couple months now, since his ugly, _but inevitable_ break-up with Hannah, the partners had been trying to find their way back to each other, back to where they were before everything went to Hell. Slowly but surely, they'd been making progress by spending more time together outside of work – dinners at the Royal Diner, late night Thai take-out with rented movies, morning races through the park ending at the coffee cart, and simply 'hanging out'.

And whenever she looked at him with those open, vulnerable eyes, when she was obviously feeling insecure about her own sentiments, she never failed to render him speechless. She trusted him, as she always had, to guide her in the uncharted territories that were her emotions; and while he eagerly offered any insight he could, he felt himself falling for her all over again, and falling hard. But the risk was greater as he fell in love again, because Booth knew what he'd lost when they went their separate ways, and he was loathe to think of what his life would be like if he pushed too hard, scaring her off for good. So, he worked hard to keep his own desires in check, walking that cautious line around her when things got tense or touchy.

"I don't want you to change, Bones." His voice was low and raspy, "_And_ you have nothing to apologize for." He let his finger linger beneath her chin just a few seconds longer, relishing the silky skin that he could just-barely feel through the thick callouses that covered the outer edge of his forefinger. He took a moment to let his deep chocolate eyes skim across her sharp, beautiful features before settling back on the metaphorical windows of her soul. "We'll talk some more later…m'kay?"

Brennan's mouth was suddenly dry; her tongue felt like cotton as she watched the unmistakable flood of affection that flowed from Booth's dark eyes, enriching his statement with deeper meaning than that which could be taken at face value. The syllables, the words, the sentences, when coming from her partner, held a much more profound definition than any text could ever define, and she found that all she could do was nod, almost imperceptibly, and mutter a simple, "Yes…please."

With a smile, the kind that spoke volumes, Booth dropped his hand back to his side and stood up straighter, realizing that he'd been gradually leaning closer to his partner as they conversed quietly. "Alright, then… Let's go solve a crime, huh, Bones?" He positioned his arm loosely around her lower back as she turned, resting his fingertips on the spot he'd claimed as his own several years ago, ushering her forward with a familiar pressure that she'd come to accept as 'Boothy'.

As they approached the scene, Brennan's attention was divided among the various discussions that were occurring around her. Forensic recovery specialists discussed ways of transporting evidence; two young ladies in volunteer uniforms were standing to the side were crying and consoling each other while being questioned by officials; animal control officers debated probable outcomes for the lives of the monkeys with zoo management. Her focus finally turned to the small gathering of people that she knew, huddled together inside the enclosure in question.

Hodgins and Cam were already at work by the time Brennan reached them inside the enclosure. Wrinkling her forehead, Brennan turned to Booth, then back to her colleagues and spoke. "This body is still fleshy; why was I called? I can't possibly make an adequate examination of the body until it has been de-fleshed, therefore, I cannot partake in the declaration one way or another as to the cause of death. We have no way of knowing if this was a homicide, natural expiration or accidental death until the body has been examined." She suddenly felt annoyed that her Saturday plans, which consisted of working on her newest novel, had been thwarted, and she wasn't even needed at the crime scene. She turned back to Booth. "Did you know this was a fresh body?"

Booth raised his hands in silent defense as he shook his head and raised an eyebrow at Cam.

With a quiet sigh and shake of her head, Dr. Saroyan stood from where she was squatting near the head of the victim, and smiled at Booth before turning to the agitated Anthropologist. "Dr. Brennan, the FBI was called by local PD. When the responding officers took one look at the body, they called Cullen, Cullen called us after he called Booth, and that's all I know. We arrived only about 15 minutes before you and Booth walked in." She shrugged, "I've ordered everything back to the lab for further examination. I'm sorry if you were interrupted, but usually whenever Booth is called in, you are too."

"Of _course_ I'm called in whenever Booth is." Her exasperated aggravation was clear in her tone of voice. "We're partners. But I don't see a reason to have Booth here if cause of death can't even be determined yet." She snapped off the gloves she had pulled on as she approached the scene, tucking them back into her hip pocket. "Why would the FBI Head of Major Crimes be called out to a scene if they don't even know if there's been a crime?" Her jaw was locked and her lips drawn into a tight line as she awaited her answer with her arms crossed over her chest.

Hodgins stepped in, "All due respect Dr. B, but I think it's pretty safe to call this a homicide. We may not be able to examine the body completely yet, but how many Primatologists do you know who would walk around with peanut butter smeared across their skin and clothing?"

Cam, Brennan and Booth all looked at Hodgins in confusion, but Booth was the one to ask, pulling his index cards from his pocket as he spoke. "What are you talking about, Hodgins?"

"The body – it's covered with peanut butter. The parts we can see, anyway. As are portions of the shirt and pants. Someone killed this woman and then put her in here so the monkeys would eat her…"

Booth's shoulders sagged and he dropped his head in a slow shake. "Ah, shit… this case already sucks…"

Brennan, feeling particularly confrontational that morning, squared her shoulders and eyed the scientist in disbelief. "How can you be so certain, Dr. Hodgins? Maybe it's not peanut butter. Maybe it's her body lotion. And maybe, _just maybe_, that unfortunate person stumbled in here on her own accord and died naturally while eating or carrying a peanut butter sandwich. Or committed suicide…? You should not be making assumptions until you have examined all the evidence, Dr. Hodgins; you should know better."

As Brennan rattled on, Booth eyed her suspiciously, unable to believe his own ears… His partner was never one to make up scenarios; especially ones as far-fetched as what she was prattling at that moment.

"How can I - -" Jack's forehead creased in his own disbelief that she was questioning his assessment. "_How can I be so certain_?" He threw his hands in the air in frustration and spun around before facing her again, floored that she would make such an accusation that he didn't follow protocol. "I am certain, Dr. Brennan, because I can see the peanut butter smears and I can smell it! There're some things in life that are unmistakable, and the smell of peanut butter is one of them. Who the hell would do that? Who the hell would smear themselves with peanut butter then enter an enclosure, _locking_ themselves in with primates known to be _seven times stronger_ than a human, pound per pound? Even a suicidal maniac wouldn't want to die like that… And this person wasn't _carrying a sandwich_ – that is an _absurd_ notion…" He ripped off his gloves and stormed away from the argument before anything else was said, especially something that would come back to haunt one of them someday. He muttered to himself as he retreated, "what the hell is that about…? What's her problem today? I know my fucking job…"

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Cam turned from Booth to Brennan and declared that she would make the final arrangements to have the remains returned to the lab, and that she would let them know her 'official' findings once she had them. She turned and walked towards the body and looked back once more. "Dr. Brennan, Booth, you guys might as well go. I'll let you know if you're going to be needed in this matter." Without waiting for a reply, she headed back into the chaos that surrounded the remains, leaving the partners staring at the back of her head.

Booth turned to Brennan in silent surprise, raising his eyebrows while patiently awaiting her explanation. When she felt his dark gaze, she dropped her eyes to her hands as they twisted against themselves. She inhaled sharply and met his stare. "Can you drop me off at home, Booth? Or should I take a cab?"

Booth's confusion was clear, and his deep brown eyes studied her suddenly hardened features. "Bones? What's going on?"

"It's OK, I'll take a cab," she about-faced and started to walk away from him. She was terrifyingly close to breaking out in tears, and she knew she couldn't do that in front of her partner. She didn't understand her own feelings, and she was in _no way_ ready to discuss those feelings with Booth. "I'm just tired, Booth," she called over her shoulder, hoping that he would believe her pathetic lie. Hearing his quick step catch up to her, she knew that she wouldn't be taking a cab – Booth would make sure she got home safe and sound, just like he always did whenever he picked her up for a case. That tiny bit of knowledge gave her reason to smile, ever so slightly, though she didn't totally understand why.

He rested his hand, once again, on the small of her back as he fell into stride with his partner. "I'll take you home, Bones." His voice was soft and low, his barely-there smile was, as always, warm, "you should know I'll always take you home." They walked the rest of the way to the SUV in silence, and for that, Brennan was thankful.

They were halfway to her apartment when Booth finally spoke. "You wanna grab something to eat at the diner, Bones? It's only a little after 9:00." When he got no response, he spared a glance in her direction and saw a distraught look that tore at his heart. She was staring straight ahead through the windshield, obviously not watching anything particular as they drove. He reached over and placed his large veiny hand over her fingers, which were twisted together, causing her pale knuckles to turn even whiter. "Bones?" His breathy beckon, combined with his warm touch, brought her out of her reverie and she turned to look at him, her bright blue eyes large and vulnerable, and wet with unshed tears.

Immediately, Booth found a vacant parking lot and pulled into a spot, throwing the SUV into park. "Bones, what's wrong?" He turned his body towards her, tugging her hand slightly. "What is it?"

"They want to euthanize the _entire_ Rhesus colony, Booth! I heard Animal Control talking to the Zoo officials…" She lost control, sobbing openly as she fell towards her partner, unbuckling her seatbelt in one swift movement. "They can't kill the monkeys, Booth…It's _**wrong**_!" Her voice then dropped in volume, a tone of defeat edging into her normally confident timbre as she pressed her face into his thick neck. "It's _wrong_, Booth. It's not their fault…"

"Oh, Bones…" Booth held her trembling body in his arms the best he could, reaching over the console of his SUV. He rubbed large circles on her back, trying to sooth her evident pain. "OK…OK…take a deep breath, Bones…" Absently, he pressed his lips on the top of her head, momentarily forgetting that they were still 'just partners', despite what his heart wanted. "Shh…" He continued his caresses and gentle murmurs until her body stopped shuddering and her tears finally subsided. "This is what made you so upset back at the scene?" He crooked his head just enough to see her face.

Brennan's head rested against her partner's broad shoulder, her forehead pressed into his neck. Quietly, she nodded, gripping the sides of his jacket a little tighter in her fists, not yet ready to pull away from the comfort he provided. Her emotions were at war with themselves…she was upset about the conversation she'd overheard inside the Primate House; she was disturbed at Hodgins' immediate discount of anything but homicide (though she instinctively knew he was right – she would never admit that aloud); she was haunted with happy memories of visiting that very zoo with Booth and Parker shortly before they went their separate ways; and she battled the ever-growing need to be closer to Booth…both physically and emotionally. She didn't know if he was ready to try for a new relationship – she knew he was angry after she turned him down on the steps of the Hoover more than a year prior, then he grew angrier at Hannah's decline to what he was offering. Brennan knew that Booth would eventually recover, but she didn't know how long that process would be, and she was afraid of screwing anything up that could develop into something more. She was terrified of losing the best man she'd ever had in her life… So, for the time being, she let herself get lost in his warm embrace and his quiet baritone voice, knowing that, at the very least, he still cared for her as a partner, and as a friend.

Finally, she answered his question. "Yes. I didn't want to cry in there. In front of everyone…in front of you… I hate crying in front of anybody…_especially_ you…" She swallowed and pulled away slightly, so she could look at his face. "But, Booth – what they want to do…it's not right…it's inhumane. I mean, I'm sure they would euthanize the animals humanely, but the act itself… it shouldn't be the solution here. Even if this woman died of natural causes, and even if there wasn't food to entice the animals to attack her body, they were only doing what they would in nature…They shouldn't be punished for being wild animals, Booth!" She wiped her tears in frustration. "That – that orca in Florida wasn't sentenced to death for simply following its natural instinct a few years ago when that trainer was killed... Don't get me wrong, it's terrible what happened, Booth, but why should they have to _die_?!"

Booth brought his left hand to her cheek, brushing an errant curl from where it stuck to her cheek, plastered there by her tears. "I know, Bones…it's not fair." He let his calloused fingertip linger on her cheekbone just a moment longer before dropping it back to his own lap. "Maybe I can make a call – get them to hold off the procedure until we know more…"

She hung her head, feeling the weight of the truth resting upon her shoulders. "It'll be just like Ripley all over again…We couldn't save him…There'd be no way to stop this either…" Fresh tears welled in her eyes as she struggled to regain control and she dropped her hands from where they'd been grasping his jacket. "The FBI has no jurisdiction over Animal Control, Booth. There's nothing you could do…"

Gripping both of her hands in his large right hand and resting them on her lap, he pulled his phone out, dialing it with his left. "Hey Lewis, Booth here." He paused, "yeah, I'm great thanks. Listen, man, I need a favor." He chuckled, "yeah, well, I figure you could pay up now – there's something I need you to do. You heard about the situation at the Metro Zoo?" Another pause. "Yeah, well, I wondered what it would take to get a, shall we say, _stay of execution_ on that Rhesus colony?" Another pause, longer this time. Growing firm, but still professional, Booth continued while locking his eyes on Bones' bright blues. "Yeah, well, I have it on good authority that this case is going to _become_ one of mine…and when it gets passed onto my desk, I want those monkeys alive so my team can examine _all_ the evidence." Listening intently, Booth nodded his head, although the man on the other end could not see it. "Yeah, that's great, Lew. Thanks, I'll talk to you later." Ending the call, he dropped his phone back into his pocket and turned back to his partner.

He let his thumb rub circles across the backs of her hands, which he still held. "We've got some time, Bones. A friend of mine is going to see to it that those monkeys are quarantined, but not euthanized. At least, not until we figure out what the hell happened in that Monkey Building." He smiled when he saw her obvious relief.

"Primate House, Booth. Not Monkey Building." For once, it was her turn to correct him on a vernacular term, and regardless of the situation, it brought her a little bit of pleasure. She turned on hand upward, so it was palm to palm against Booth's and she sighed. "Thank you, Booth. Thank you for making that call." Her voice was small but full of gratitude.

"Anything for you, Bones." Booth answered honestly, his volume matching the lowness of hers, "I hate to see you cry…" He let his eyes skim the surface of her face. "I can stand anyone else's tears but yours…" he shrugged. "_Well_, yours or Parker's… But…I'm glad you let me see them…" A small smile grew when she wrapped her fingers around his, effectively holding his hand in hers. A few more moments passed and he could see that she'd calmed down a little more. "Now, you wanna get something to eat? I don't know about you, but I'm _starved_. And I don't want to eat alone; I'd rather have company."

"Well, I wanted to get some writing done today, Booth. And if you really think this is going to turn into a case, then I should work on my chapter before we get called into the lab. Otherwise, my editor will…" Brennan kept her tone of voice professional, but stopped when she looked at his face. She swallowed thickly, suddenly nervous about the comfortable way her hand felt wrapped in his and concerned about her feelings once again; and, she supposed, nervous about his feelings…

With his smile fading, he nodded his head once and tugged his hand free from hers. "Yeah, OK. I'll take you home." He turned back to the steering wheel, feeling conflicted about the signals he was receiving from her. One minute she seemed to need him, _seemed to enjoy being with him_, and then, in the very next she was rebuilding those walls again, closing him out.

Silently realizing what she'd just done, her stomach clenched; knowing she'd made a mistake in turning down his offer. He was _trying_ – that much was obvious. He was trying to reach her again…trying to rekindle what they once had and attempting to build upon it. And in one selfish, scared reaction, she shot him down. "Booth-" She reached her hand over and rested it on his right forearm, which was held straight out from his body as he gripped the steering wheel. Ignoring the flinch she felt beneath her palm as his arm jerked at her touch, she continued. "It's OK, I can write later… Let's go ahead and-"

"Nah, it's OK, Bones," he cut her off. He didn't want her accepting his invitation out of pity; he wanted her to join him because she _wanted_ to, not because she felt an _obligation_ to. "I'm not all that hungry, after all." He didn't look in her direction, as he was battling his own emotions and couldn't look at her at that particular moment; he didn't _want_ to look into her eyes right then…

"But Booth, you just said you were starved…" She argued, "That's what you _said_." Her throat felt raspy, an apparent side effect of her emotional breakdown just moments before.

"Yeah, well, I lost my appetite, Bones. That happens sometimes." He pulled up in front of her apartment building, but kept the SUV running. "I'll let you know if I hear anything. But something tells me you'll hear first, because I'm sure the lab will call you before they call me." He didn't look directly at her; he studied their surroundings instead, gazing out the windows in no particular order. "Shoot me a text if you hear something. I'll meet you."

Brennan fought against the knot in her throat. "I'm sorry Booth, I didn't mean to-"

"Nothin' to apologize for, Bones. I know you've got things to do…it's Saturday… So, I'll, uh, I'll talk to ya later, I guess. I hope that you get done whatever you need to do." He still hadn't looked at her – he looked _past_ her, _near_ her – anywhere but _at_ her.

Feeling the unmistakable sting of tears behind her eyes, this time tears of regret at her own insecure reaction, she rolled her lips around her teeth and bit down to stop from saying something else she'd regret. She unbuckled her seatbelt and opened her door quietly, slipping from her seat. Before she shut the door, she turned back to him with searching, pleading eyes. "Thank you for calling your friend, Booth. That means a lot to me."

"Yeah... Glad I could help with somethin', Bones." His jaw was tight as he stared at the Toyota logo centered on his steering wheel and clenched his fists where they rested on his thighs.

Seeing that he wasn't going to initiate any further conversation, Bones quietly backed out of the open door and closed it, still looking through the window as his profile as he angrily threw the SUV into drive and pulled out into the street. Noticing that he was not driving in the direction of his apartment, but instead continued in the direction of the diner, she let the tears she'd been fighting finally fall. _He __**is **__still hungry_, she thought with regret, _and now he's going to eat by himself…Exactly what he didn't want to do_. Dragging her body from where she stood on the sidewalk, she turned towards her building and walked slowly up the stairs into the lobby_. I can't remember the last time Booth dropped me off on the sidewalk…He always, as the very least, walks up with me to make sure that I get inside safe. Dammit! Why did I have to clam up like that!? He's been trying to make things better…and we were doing great… Last weekend was a lot of fun; we spent almost the whole weekend together…what's the matter with me? I've just damaged what we've been working to repair…_

**A/N Postscipt**

**You know, if these two didn't fight, we'd wonder what was wrong… Poor B&B, always misunderstanding each other and missing their chances… so many missed opportunities…Pissing each other off all the time… *shakes head sadly***

**And now I ask, did you like chapter one? Is the story worth completing? Please leave me a review and let me know if you think this little Birthday fic is any good!**

**I promise those of you who have been messaging me – I will get back to 'Letters from Maluku', but I had to start cranking this out 2 weeks ago after learning that Monkey's birthday was coming up so soon. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Welcome back! **

**Thank you to those of you who reviewed the first chapter, I am glad you enjoyed. I am not taking the time to respond to individual reviews, not because I don't appreciate them, but because I am trying to crank this out as quickly as possible. I hope you understand, and PLEASE still review! **

**Disclaimer: Nope… Can you believe I still don't own Bones? I know… I was shocked when I found out, too… But, hey, I do own this story and the ideas within! So please enjoy it! **

She had been home just over an hour before her silence was disturbed by the shrill ring of her cell phone. Pulling the phone from her bag, she saved the word document on which she'd been working. "Brennan," she answered quickly without looking at her call ID, hoping it was Booth.

"Hey, Dr. B, I think you should get down here," Hodgins' voice came through her earpiece. "I am pretty certain that we have the necessary evidence to support my initial conclusion."

She could hear the pride in his voice as she stood from where she sat, placing her laptop on the coffee table. "What did you find?" She replied, wanting some details.

"Well, Fisher said that there are some questionable marks on the x-rays that indicate damage. Cam has the body in her office right now, finishing the autopsy, but said that I should call you to come in. Is Booth still with you, or should I call him?"

"Um, no, he's not here, but I'll call him, Dr. Hodgins. We'll be in soon. Thanks for letting me know."

"Sure thing. See ya." They ended the call simultaneously.

Immediately, she dialed Booth, but her call went to voicemail. "Um, hi Booth, it's me. Hodgins just called; he wants us to come to the lab… Do you…do you want to pick me up so we can go together? Or do you want to meet me there?" She wrinkled her nose, realizing she was talking to his voicemail, and would not be receiving an answer in response. "OK, well, I think I will wait for a little while to hear back from you. If you get this message in the next 20 minutes or so, let me know what you want to do….OK, well…" there was an awkward silence between herself and _herself_, she sighed. "OK, I'll wait to hear from you. Bye, Booth."

Dropping her phone onto her kitchen island, she moved to the refrigerator and pulled out some fresh cut fruit. She suddenly found that she was, in fact, very hungry. _Why didn't I just agree to go to the diner with Booth? Instead we're __**both**__ eating alone_… She sat on her barstool and stabbed a piece of pineapple with her fork and began eating in silence, watching her un-ringing phone, willing her partner to return her call, even though she didn't believe in mental telepathy.

After 20 minutes passed, she shoved away from her perch in the kitchen and plodded into her bedroom to change into more appropriate working clothes for the lab, deliberately taking her time, hoping that Booth maybe lost track of the passing minutes, and didn't realize her allotted time had already come and gone. By the time she was done dressing, and still having not heard from Booth, she decided to try his house phone. Upon getting his voicemail there as well, she opted to drive herself to the lab, by way of the diner; perhaps she would find him still there, and they could continue to the Jeffersonian together.

B/B/B/B

Brennan could see her partner's SUV parked along the street, close to the diner, and she felt an inexplicable flutter in her chest at the idea of finding him (hopefully at their table) and spending a few minutes with him before they had to go to work. She needed to apologize to him, and let him know that she hadn't acted with purposeful malice. Quickly, Brennan found a parallel parking spot a block away and rushed to the front door of the Royal Diner, swinging it open and locking her gaze on the table at which she expected Booth to be sitting. Disappointment filled her metaphorical heart, however, when she saw another couple, a smiling, _happy_ couple, sharing a slice of cake in that space. _That's __**our**__ table_, she thought possessively, _**we**__ should be sitting there eating cake… __**not**__ those people_… Her uncharacteristic possessiveness of something so trivial did not go by unnoticed, but she knew she couldn't concentrate on that for now…she needed to locate her partner.

"Ah, Dr. Brennan, hello!" Mabel greeted her with a smile, order pad in hand. "Are you getting something to go, too?"

"Excuse me?" Brennan questioned their normal server.

"Did you want to order something for the road? Agent Booth was already in, almost 45-minutes ago, and got his usual; though I was surprised he didn't want one of his favorite He-Man Breakfasts, since we were still serving our morning meals." Mabel smiled, unaware that Brennan had no idea as to Booth's whereabouts.

"Oh, no Mabel, thank you, though. Do you know where Booth went? Where did he take his food?" She glanced around the diner, just to ensure that her partner wasn't slouched down in a booth on the far end of the eatery.

"No, I'm sorry, Dr. Brennan. I assumed he was coming to see you…He ordered extra fries…" She raised her eyebrow in question, but shook her head.

"Thank you, Mabel," Brennan replied as she turned to exit the restaurant.

She walked to Booth's SUV and peeked inside; he was not in there, nor was he sitting at one of the outdoor cafe-style tables that the diner had recently added to their sidewalk. Brennan suddenly found that she was getting anxious. It wasn't like Booth to leave his vehicle parked someplace when he wasn't staying close. She looked down the side street onto which the diner's side door led, no Booth. Then she glanced across the street and finally saw a familiar shape. She knew the shape of Booth's head and shoulders as well as she knew the back of her own hand. She recognized the unmistakable outline of his distinct profile as he sat, unmoving, on a solitary bench beneath an old oak tree in the park, his back to her with his head tilted slightly to the right. Immediately, she felt her anxiety ease, knowing that he was there, and appeared to be alright. Waiting for a break in traffic, she jogged across the busy intersection and made her way towards him quickly, subconsciously noting the sag of his wide shoulders, a stature she knew he took on whenever he was feeling melancholy.

Booth had been sitting on the bench watching the passers-by, killing time _and just thinking_. He observed a father playing ball with his son and immediately felt the pang of missing Parker. His boy was on vacation up north with Rebecca, and wouldn't be home until the following Friday. Shifting his attention, he then noticed a young soldier, dressed in desert fatigues holding the hand of a young woman. They were a nice looking couple, Booth mused, as he watched them circle to the other side of the pond. The vision brought back memories of his most recent tour in Afghanistan; a time he just preferred to forget...the training missions, which turned out to be so much more; the empty feelings of missing home; the lonely nights thinking about his family far away; the fiasco of meeting a woman who turned his world upside down – and not in a good way, either… Then, an elderly couple shuffled into his line of vision, sitting on a bench adjacent to a picnic table, and began to share their lunch. He thought of Pops and his Grandmom, and about how much they had loved each other. And then he mourned at the realization that he would never have the opportunity to experience that kind of love, and it made the almost-unbearable ache in his chest grow in intensity. A quick glance towards the sky told Booth that the threatening storm clouds were growing angrier, and he chuckled sarcastically to himself. _Sure, go ahead and rain down on me…I already feel like shit…just add that to the mix, huh? _

Sighing, he tilted his head side to side, cracking his neck and relieving some of the pressure he felt. It was inexplicable, but he knew that Brennan was near before he even saw or heard her. When he recognized the unmistakably familiar feeling he often got whenever she walked into a room, he glanced at his watch. It had been just over 45 minutes since he diverted her call to voicemail and pocketed his phone, turning the volume off while waiting for his food at the diner. Within a minute of feeling her presence, he heard the familiar cadence of her footsteps approaching from behind. He didn't let on that he knew she was there however; he wasn't really sure he was ready to see her. He didn't understand what he'd done wrong in the SUV, and he had to ponder his actions and his words, and try to figure out the point at which he'd scared her enough that she instinctually pushed him away without a second thought. So, he sat, still facing the pond, and waited for her impending approach. Silently, he wished the skies would open up just then, so they would be forced to run for cover and he could avoid the discussion for as long as possible...

He listened as she slowed her pace and took a deep breath before approaching the rest of the way and finally joined him on the bench, sliding next to him, picking up his untouched lunch to-go box and holding it on her lap.

"Hi," she said quietly, looking at his strong profile, her eyes darting from his crinkled forehead down to his clenched, scarred jaw and down further to his pronounced Adam's Apple, bobbing as he swallowed. She took in his clothing; he'd changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants, so she knew he must have taken a quick jog around the neighborhood park after dropping her off at the apartment. She felt a deep pang of regret, knowing it was her actions that gave him the need to burn off energy rather than go and eat like he'd initially wanted to do. _He was angry_, she thought to herself, _and when he's angry, he works-out_…

Unable to ignore her hesitant initiation of conversation, he turned and looked at her with a tired smile – the kind that didn't reach his eyes. She knew that look - - it was the one he plastered on when he wanted to fool someone into believing he was alright. "Hey, Bones." He turned back and nodded towards the pond, silently telling her that he was enjoying his solitude.

"I called you," she simply stated, opening the container from the diner and peeking inside at his uneaten lunch before snapping it closed again. "It went to voicemail."

He nodded slowly, unable to lie and tell her that he didn't hear it. "Yeah, I heard it ring. I was going to check it in a bit; I was just…." he shrugged, "…sitting…"

He still hadn't really looked at her, but she studied him anyway. She saw the tight clench of his jaw and the thin, straight line of his lips as he pressed them closed in forced silence. She noticed lines around the corners of his eyes…Lines that hadn't been there seven years ago when he'd first approached her about teaming up with him, but which time had nonetheless scribed into his handsomely chiseled face, accenting his deep-set chocolaty eyes. Those lines only appeared when he was concentrating, worried, sad or pissed-off. She hated that it was her words that caused those lines to appear on that particular afternoon, and she wondered exactly which emotion he was experiencing, if not all of them…

"You didn't eat, Booth. Are you feeling alright?" She rested her hand on his forearm and winced slightly when, once again, she felt his body tense in response to her touch, just as it had in the truck.

Taking a deep breath, he cleared his mind, deciding to focus on the reason she'd searched for him. He plastered on that damn fake-smile and faced her. "I'm fine, Bones. What's up?"

Wishing to fix what she'd done to him earlier, but not really knowing how, she lowered her own gaze to the box in her lap and stammered, "I, uh...I-" '_I'm sorry' sounds so feeble… 'Forgive me' sounds so desperate… _She wrinkled her nose at her thoughts as she searched for the right thing to say…

Booth instantly felt bad for his partner; no matter how hard he tried, he was never able to stay mad at her. She was struggling to understand their situation, just as much as he was, and he sighed silently, hating to hear her unveiled vulnerability. "Bones," he reached out and tapped her chin so she would face him, but he didn't let his knuckle linger at her jaw like he desperately wanted to do. "I didn't listen to your message yet, so you wanna tell me what's going on?"

Seeing his now-softened eyes trained on her, hearing his gentle voice, she felt lost for words. She knew she'd hurt his feelings, regardless of the fact that it was not her intention to do so, but he was willing to forgive her. Her partner was, as always, giving her another shot, and she hoped she didn't screw it up again. But first, they had a case.

"Hodgins called. He asked me to come to the lab."

When she didn't continue, he prompted her, "OK. What did you find?"

"I didn't go yet... I was waiting for you." She dropped her eyes momentarily but raised them again. "I called your cell, and then I tried you at home…when I didn't hear back. I came looking for you."

Surprised at her admission, Booth cocked an eyebrow. "It was almost an hour ago that you called, Bones. You could've been at the lab already, doin' your thing…"

"But you're my partner, Booth… and we should go to the lab together to learn about the findings…and…I didn't know... I didn't know where you'd gone…" She bounced her eyes between his dark browns. "I went into the diner and you weren't there…you weren't in your truck…you weren't sitting at the outdoor café tables…"

He smiled sadly, "I'm never too far away, Bones." He raised his hand and carefully pulled an invisible thread from her shoulder, really just as an excuse to touch her, before he once again met her eyes. "So, then, we have a case?" His smile grew – they were on common ground; well-traversed territory. He could see his partner's concerns dissipate as her own grin spread across her enticingly kissable lips and her blue-gray eyes shone brighter.

"Yes, we do, Booth." She fought against her itching fingers and their urge to reach out and touch him; she gripped his take-out box instead. "Is it wrong to be happy about that?" Her brow wrinkled in embarrassment and confusion, unsure of how Booth would answer her question.

He cocked his head sideways and looked deep into the pale eyes that had mesmerized him for seven years. "I don't think it's a matter of being happy about the _case_, Bones. It's about us working together. We bring justice to those who can't do it for themselves…and we're the best at what we do."

Feeling a twinge of relief that he didn't think she was out of line, she let her hand lift, ever so slowly, up to his shoulder, and she rested her open palm on the broadness she found there, and this time, he didn't tense or flinch. "We are _very_ good at what we do… And I enjoy working with you." She swallowed the small lump that formed in her throat. _I have to tell him…I have to tell him, so he doesn't think I'm pushing him away._ "I enjoy spending time with you, Booth… on _and_ off the job…I hope you know that…" Her throat felt tight, like she was about to cry, but she didn't want to...not again; she just wanted to make him understand…

Booth smiled, this time a genuine, appreciative smile, and reached for Brennan's hand on his shoulder, covering it with his own much larger hand. "Thanks, Bones." He squeezed her fingers and tugged her hand down in his, holding it a few moments longer than a normal 'partner' would do… But then again, nothing about their partnership had ever been normal.

B/B/B/B

As Booth and Brennan entered the lab, they walked straight to her office, where she grabbed her lab coat quickly before making their way back out to the platform.

"Dr. B, I thought maybe you'd decided not to come in," Hodgins spoke without looking up from his microscope, "But your delay gave me more time to run some tests." Finally he looked up. "I found something, but I am waiting on the results to tell me exactly what it is…What I _do_ know, however, is that it's indicative of a crime having taken place." Hodgins pushed his rolling stool away from his work table and stood, walking towards the partners. He pointed to the computer screen as he brought up enlarged photos of metal shards and wooden splinters, which he explained were discovered during Cam's autopsy of the remains.

"Cam had to leave for a little while, but these are her preliminary findings." He handed Brennan a file then turned back to the screens. "This woman didn't go down without a fight..." Jack sighed before continuing. "Cam found defense wounds on both forearms and palms. These were extracted from her flesh during the exam. The metal slivers were discovered embedded in the victims scalp and torso. They're miniscule and could have easily been overlooked by a less competent eye; we're fortunate to have someone like Cam on our side." His last sentence was spoken with an absent tone, more like a thought that just forced its way into the world rather than a statement Jack had intended to actually speak. He shook himself from his revelry and continued. "The wooden splinters were extracted from her palms, as if she had fallen forward," Hodgins raised his hands in front of himself in demonstration and leaned as if he was catching himself mid fall. "She probably tried to stop her fall…" He shrugged as Booth nodded in understanding of what he was trying to explain. "Fisher took x-rays and loaded them into the system, but Cam's not ready to de-flesh the body yet." He flipped the photo to an icon list of x-rays and turned back to the partners.

Booth was flipping through the file that Brennan handed to him and she stepped forward and took the remote from Jack's hand, selecting various x-rays to view up close, flipping from one to the next in rapid succession.

"I am going to need to touch these…" Brennan spoke quietly as she looked at the close-ups. "There is extensive damage done to many of the bones…" She directed her sentence to no one in particular, "In order to gain a better understanding of what happened to this poor woman, I need to _feel_ these injuries."

"Well," Jack interjected into her thoughts, "you won't be able to do that until Cam's through with the body. And she won't be through until she gets back from the errand she had to run."

Brennan turned back to Jack, "where did she go? It's not like Cam to leave in the middle of an autopsy."

Hodgins shrugged, "She received a phone call, said she had to leave and would be back as soon as possible… She gave me her findings thus far and gave me the go-ahead to take and run tests on the shards she'd uncovered. And, she gave Angie the phone that was in the victim's pocket." Seeing Booth's head bolt up from where here was studying the file, Hodgins continued, "don't worry, man, she made sure to catalogue everything according to protocol and she advised the FBI already that she'd turned the phone over to Angela."

Booth nodded, satisfied that the proper steps had been taken in preserving the evidence, and turned his attention back to the file. "Says here the victim's name is Emberly Williams, 27 years old; she's one of the Primate Specialists at the zoo – a '_Primatologist_,' it says here in her profile. She is scheduled to be on vacation until next Thursday…Single…Rents a studio apartment near Falls Creek Pass." He looked to his partner. "Well, since you can't handle the bones yet, you wanna take a ride over to Falls Creek?"

She nodded as she backed away from the video screens, handing the remote back to Hodgins and left the platform to go back to her office, removing her lab coat as she moved. Booth followed her down the stairs but instead of going to her office, he stayed on the floor and pulled out his cell phone, dialed it and started giving orders.

"Shaw, I want the two women who found the body brought in for questioning. I also want the director of the Metro Zoo brought in as well as the immediate supervisor of the Primate Division. Scour Williams' desk or work station – whatever work space she had – if she was a Specialist, she had her own space… Find it and search it. Bones and I are heading to her apartment; we'll be back as soon as we can." He ended the call and turned, hearing her partner approach from behind. "Ready?"

She shouldered her bag and nodded, falling into step beside Booth. "Yes, I'm ready."

Booth paused and looked down at himself. "I should go change real quick. You still have my spare suit in your office?" His partner nodded and he hurried off. "Ok, I'll be right back. If we're entering the victim's house, I should look a little more presentable…"

Brennan watched her partner stride into her office, gather his bag from her closet and move into her private bathroom. She admired the way his body moved – the play of his muscles that were visible beneath his tight t-shirt, the way his sweats were slung low on his hips…

"You gotta admit, sweetie, Booth is one hunk of a human being…"

Angela's voice startled Brennan and her open admiration caused the Anthropologist to turn in place and look at her friend, wide-eyed and shocked.

"What? I'm married...I'm not _dead_, Bren…I can recognize a good looking man when I see one. It doesn't mean I don't still love my husband." She smiled when she saw the momentary wave of jealousy that had crossed behind Brennan's eyes dissipate into embarrassment. "Don't worry Sweetie, if he ever heard me say that, I could just blame my pregnancy hormones… they're _raging_." Happy that she made Brennan chuckled, she continued. "So, have you two come to any conclusions yet?"

"We're going over to the victim's apartment now…" Brennan's reply came quickly, feeling better to be discussing the case – a topic with which she was familiar and comfortable.

Bursting Brennan's bubble, Angela grinned. "Not about the case, silly…about the two of you…!"

Raising an eyebrow in question and trying to hide the panic in her eyes, Brennan turned to face Angela completely. "Wha—what are you talking about, Angela?"

With her back to her office, Brennan didn't see Booth approaching, but Angela did. Not wanting to get her best friend more upset, Angela just smiled and patted her friend's arm, "we'll talk later sweetie..."

"NO, Ange, we'll talk now. I want to know what you meant about me and Booth…"

"Uh-oh, I hear my name mentioned…that can't be good." Booth approached the ladies cautiously, but kept his smile in place, hoping that he wasn't interrupting anything too important, but undeniably curious what they were saying about him…

"Oh," Angela saved her friend, "Bren was just saying that you're going to Emberly's apartment. I hope you find something…I'm still working on the cell phone. I'll call you if I get anything." She smiled at the partners and turned back to her office, an unmistakable bounce to her pregnant waddle.

B/B/B/B

Emberly's apartment was small and orderly. It was, very obviously, the space of a dedicated perpetual-student – an intelligent woman who was interested in improving upon and continuing her education and knowledge in her field of study. Bookshelves lined her walls, stacked floor to ceiling with text books and journals on primates and their behavior; studies of the effects captivity had on the psychological and physical well-being of animals; psychology studies in general; and DVDs and documentaries surrounding her interests in the creatures.

"She was a very well-read individual," Brennan observed as she perused the shelves and Emberly's desk, noting the array of titles, both fiction and non-fiction, that were noticeably dog-eared and worn. "It appears she was also working on some Rhesus research, but my knowledge of the animals is too limited to know what a lot of the short hand terminology in these notes means." She rifled through piles of paperwork as she spoke.

"I found her date book," Booth noted, standing by her bedside table. He flipped to the current week and found a number of entries. Many appeared to be lectures and cable TV broadcasts, but there were a few scattered across several days with just names and times: Robert 1:30; Jason 7:15; Larry 5:00. Pulling out his phone, he dialed Shaw once again. "Hey, bring in anyone she worked with named Robert, Jason or Larry. She had meetings scheduled with each of them, but no indications of why. I don't know if they were dates or appointments. Either way, I want each of them brought it." He paused, ready to end the call, but then took a breath, "put them all in the same room…a waiting room that's mic'ed. Leave 'em in there for a while, undisturbed, but record everything that goes on. And Shaw, get a team over here to Emberly's apartment to collect her computer and photography equipment. I don't know what we'll find, but I want _all_ of it searched." At that point he ended the call and turned his attention back to his partner.

"I can't tell for sure, Booth, but some of this research looks like it could be accusatory of laboratory mistreatment of primates. Not against the Metro Zoo, but against a research company from whom the zoo received several of its residents." Brennan flipped pages and created a pile she intended to bring back to the lab with her, for further study.

"What d'ya mean?" Booth questioned, unsure of what she was trying to tell him.

"When a research company no longer has valid use for an animal, but deems it able to live a relatively normal life within captivity, that company will often draw up a contract with a zoo or sanctuary, to which they can sign over ownership of the animal; most often the higher primates, like chimpanzees and orangutans. That's how Metro receives some of its resident Primates and exotics." She met Booth's deep brown eyes and sighed. "I'll take these documents back to the lab; I think Jack will be able to-" her sentence was interrupted by her telephone, just as Booth's phone rang at the same time.

"Brennan." She listened as Angela's agitated voice came through, rapidly complaining about a situation that came up at the lab.

"_Bren, there're some guys here from Animal Control, trying to get us to take possession of the entire collection of Rhesus Monkeys from the Zoo. What the hell are we supposed to do with them? Were you expecting them?_"

Brennan wrinkled her forehead, "They're trying to leave the monkeys? The lab doesn't have the kind of space needed for housing those animals…"

At the same time, Booth was listening to his call. "_Booth, Lewis here. Listen, your scientists don't want the monkeys and we can't keep them for the duration of your investigation. I thought you were gonna make arrangements for this? We can't keep them at the shelter - we don't have the room for them_."

"What do you mean you don't have the _room_? You're the friggin' Animal Control…It's what your agency _does_, Lewis! You _**control animals**_, don't you? Of course the lab doesn't want to take them; they can't spare the room or the man power to care for the monkeys, for Christ's sake!"

"_Booth, you wanted me to stop the animals from being killed, and I did. That's all I have the power to do, man, I thought you understood that. The agency doesn't have the room to keep them either_."

"Well," Booth thought quickly, "can't they be quarantined inside their enclosure at the zoo?"

"_No, we can't keep them there; not after what happened_."

"Shit…" He glanced at Brennan and saw she was animatedly speaking into the phone. "OK, look Lewis, just – just hang on a minute," he dropped his phone from his face and walked closer to his partner, trying to intervene in her conversation.

"Bones," he whispered, "is that the lab?"

"Hang on Ange," she turned to Booth. "Yes, it seems your _friend_ is trying to offload the monkeys at the lab, stating that _you_ gave the order to have them delivered… What's going on, Booth? I didn't hear you make that request."

"I didn't." He held up his phone, "this is Lewis on the phone now. He said all he could do was stop their euthanization, but they have no facility to hold the animals either. If the lab doesn't take them, I don't think we're going to be able to stop them from being killed, Bones."

Immediately, she raised her phone once again, "Angela? Tell Hodgins to take possession of the monkeys. Put their cages in the Ookey Room." She paused and Booth could hear Angela's high pitched voice coming through the earpiece, but he couldn't make out what she was saying. "Angela…no, listen to me. _You_ tell Hodgins to sign that paperwork and _I _will deal with the ramifications when I get back." She paused again. "Angela!" Now she was nearly yelling. "I will deal with Cam when I get back to the lab! I will _NOT_ let those monkeys be killed just because some _asshole_ murdered a woman and left her body in their cage to be mutilated beyond recognition. _You_ tell _Cam_ that she can blame me. _I_ will cover any expenses incurred for the care of the animals. I will pay for any food or structures that need to be built to accommodate the animals for the duration of the case, until they are able to be returned to their home. You tell her that, and I will be back soon." She ended the call abruptly and turned her teary eyes to her partner.

Booth lifted his phone once again, never taking his eyes off his partner. "Lew, you shouldn't have a problem with leaving the animals, now."

"_Yeah, I just heard that…I don't know who she is, but I'd love to meet her…she sounds hot as hell_… _Do you think you could introduce-_"

"Fuck you, Lewis." Booth cut off the man's request, "that's my partner you're talkin' about." Booth ended the call and pocketed his cell, reaching his hand out to grasp her upper arm. "Bones," he spoke quietly, seeing that she was trembling with anger. "Bones, it'll be alright…" He brought his other hand to her cheek, palming it carefully and pulled her into an embrace.

"They don't even _want_ to help, Booth… Animal Control doesn't care…To them, the monkeys are nothing more than an inconvenience." She let him pull her close, succumbing to her need to feel comforted and to his need to be the source of that comfort. She let her tears of frustration escape.

"We'll figure something out, Bones," he rubbed large circles across her back as he felt himself fall a little harder for her and her huge _heart-muscle_. She often said she was incapable of caring like other people, _unable to love_, but the truth of the matter was that she cared more than anyone else he knew. Temperance Brennan had more room in her heart than she gave herself credit for, and Booth hoped that someday, she would trust him enough to reveal to her the truth of her loving capacity. For the time being, however, he forced himself to be content with mending their broken relationship, trying to find their way back to where they were a year earlier.

"I'm sorry, Booth," she spoke against his neck, her fingers gripping the back of his shirt, just above his waist and beneath the back of his jacket, "I know I shouldn't get so upset about something like this…But they're just animals… They don't know right from wrong, they only know instinct; and that's what they follow. And for that, the government wants to punish them…"

"I know, Bones. It's not fair. Look, let's go back to the lab and try to figure something out, alright? We've done what we can here; we'll secure the location and a team will be here soon to collect the electronics. We can head back to the Jeffersonian and see what's going on with the monkeys."

She backed out from his embrace, slightly embarrassed that she'd become so emotional _again_, but unable to pretend it didn't happen. She nodded and turned quietly to collect the pile of reports and papers that she deemed worthy of review by herself and her associates. Once she was ready to go, Booth escorted her back to the SUV, ensuring that the apartment was locked and taped for law enforcement. Before they ever left the parking lot, however, the FBI forensics team was pulling in, searching for the correct building. Booth indicated where they were to go and what they were to collect, and the partners were once again on their way back to the lab.

B/B/B/B

As soon as they'd entered the vast space of the Jeffersonian Medico-Legal Lab, Booth and Brennan were assaulted by a cacophony of howls, screeches and snarls combined with the unpleasant shouts from one Dr. Camille Saroyan, whose barks were directed at none other than Jack Hodgins. Painting on a stern look, the one Booth had learned years ago was her guise of protection, Brennan stormed in the direction of the human contribution to the deafening noise, leaving him in her wake.

"Dr. Saroyan, please stop yelling at Dr. Hodgins. I told him to sign for the animals; I will take full responsibility!" Brennan entered her colleague's office with confidence belying her insecurities. "I am perfectly aware that the lab is not currently equipped to manage such a large collection of Rhesus, however, I was not about to permit these animals to be euthanized for acting on instinct alone." Brennan squared her jaw and stood her ground against her boss, regardless of the consequences.

"Dr. Brennan, you forget your place here," Cam spun on her heel and faced her resident anthropologist. "_You_ do not run this lab, contrary to what you may believe. _I_ am in charge here, and _I_ am the one who calls the shots, because _I_ am the one who has to answer to the board about what goes on in this place!" Cam's dark eyes were fiery with anger as she faced Brennan. "And if you think that your monetary contribution to their upkeep is enough to supply a satisfactory answer to the Foundation, then you are sorely mistaken. The Jeffersonian is not in the habit of housing entire colonies of animals simply because one of its employees has a crazy hair to save the lives of those making up that colony. We are not a zoo, nor are we a wildlife sanctuary. We are a working laboratory that requires concentration and control; we play integral parts in solving the most heinous crimes on the FBI files. We cannot maintain in excess of 50 monkeys."

Booth stood by the door unmoving as his partner and friend went toe to toe in a metaphorical pissing match for control of the situation. Watching his partner's shoulders tense in a familiar way, indicating she was about to blow a gasket, he stepped in, raising his hands in front of him and moving to stand between the ladies. "Bones, Cam, let's just everybody calm down here, huh? There has to be a way to work this out." He looked from Cam's challenging brown eyes to Brennan's icy blues and back again. "Cam, Bones knows you are in charge here, but we were facing a situation that needed an immediate solution, and this was the best thing we could come up with." He lumped himself into the decision-making-process of housing the monkeys at the lab even though he had no say in the matter at all; he wasn't about to let his partner take the fall on her own. "And Bones," he turned back to the woman on his left, "I need you to calm down; we need to address the immediate needs of the animals and focus on the investigation so we can complete it as soon as possible. The sooner we solve this case, the sooner we can find a permanent home for these guys, if it's not back at the zoo. Their fate rests in our hands as we uncover the truth of what happened to our victim." Seeing his Bones calm down, he once again turned to Cam, taking a deep breath before beginning.

"Now, Cam, I know you're upset because you think Bones it trying to call the shots, but let's take a step back and see what needs to be done. Have you finished your autopsy?" By drawing her attention away from his partner and back to the case, Booth hoped to interject a sense of calm and cohesiveness into the matter, and get their team working together again.

She met his eyes with a controlled anger that he knew well; she was trying to work along with him, despite her feelings of resentment towards her employee. "Yes, I have. Mr. Fisher has already begun the process of de-fleshing the body so Dr. Brennan could have the bones for further examination. I understand that the x-rays left a lot to be desired, given the amount of bone damage, and that Dr. Brennan wanted to be able to examine them hands-on as soon as possible."

Booth nodded in appreciation to his old friend and former lover. "That's great, thank you, Cam. How long until the bones are ready for her?"

"Probably another three, maybe four hours or so," was her reply; much calmer than when she started. "You can find all of my notes in here," she handed him the file she'd completed from her autopsy.

"Great," he turned his attention back to his partner. "So, Bones. You have a while before you can handle the remains, why don't you use that time to determine what is going to be needed to maintain your 'guests' in the meantime?" He raised his eyebrow in her direction and physically moved his body to interrupt the seething glare she was still aiming in Cam's direction. "Whatd'ya say?"

Brennan blinked and refocused her attention on the handsome face of her partner. Exhaling a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, she nodded slowly. "Yes, I will do that." She turned her attention momentarily to Fisher, who had been sheepishly standing by the door witnessing the entire argument. "Mr. Fisher, when the bones are clean, please prepare them for examination in my Bone Room and advise me when you've completed your task." Watching the intern walk away, she turned her attention once more to Booth and took another deep breath. "After my assessment of the situation, I will spend some time with Hodgins going through the research papers that Emberly was working on regarding her accusations of abuse."

Smiling, Booth nodded in appreciation with a small smile, "That sounds perfect, Bones. Let me know what you find out."

She grew serious, "Where are you going?" She realized by the way he'd made the request, that he wouldn't be around when she was reviewing the documents.

"I have to get over to the Hoover and question some folks. Shaw brought in the two girls who found our victim as well as some higher-ups from the zoo, and then the boyfriends – or whoever those three guys are that were mentioned in her date book." Booth stepped closer, registering a twinge of hurt in his partner's eyes. "It looks like you're gonna have your hands full here, Bones. I didn't figure you'd have time to interrogate them with me…"

"But, Booth…that's what we do." She spared a glance to Hodgins, who was standing in front of the wall of cages that had taken over the Ookey Room completely. "Let me bring Jack on board with ascertaining the necessities of caring for these animals. Then once he's speeding along, I can join you…We're partners…" Her eyes begged him to wait for her; she, too, was trying to help re-establish their previous relationship, and it was evident to him that she really wanted to be present for questioning.

"Once he's 'up to speed,' Bones, not 'speeding along'." He grinned at her slip-up; Booth loved that Brennan tried to use common phrases, but he loved even more when she made adorable slip-ups like that one, allowing him the chance to correct her.

"Oh, well….that's what I meant," she raised her chin defiantly, still feeling the effects of her confrontation with Cam, but knowing that Booth was teasing her.

"I know…" he smiled. "OK, go tell Jack what you need from him; I'll wait in your office. Come get me when you're ready." Booth left the room and headed over towards his partner's office, Cam's file in hand, and he seated himself in the comfortable couch to review the report.

**A/N Postscript**

**Such intensity in the lab! Brennan and Cam fighting… You KNOW those two want to go head-to-head more often than we get to see on the screen… Two strong personalities in such close working quarters is bound to escalate into volcanic-sized eruptions from time to time!**

**Please review and let me know if you enjoyed chapter 2! **

**I'm editing chapter 3 this afternoon and if I get good feedback, _maybe_ My Muse will be more motivated to post it right away! **

**Peace & Love, my friends and Happy Day-after-your-birthday, dharmamonkey!**

**~jazzy**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Welcome back! WOW – My Muse was very generous today, cranking out both chapters 2 and 3 for you. I hope you enjoy. If I get chapter 4 out tomorrow, it won't be until late, because of work; but I suspect it's not going to be until Tuesday that I manage to post it. **

**Thanks for all the reviews, you guys have been great. I know that laboratory studies involving animals is a pretty sensitive topic, and I've tried to address it gingerly. I'm sorry that a few of you found it offensive for me to go this route, but I know that I can't please everyone all the time, and I hope that won't deter you from reading other fics that I have written in the past and those that I have yet to write. **

**The portions about the monkeys and their behaviors are pretty accurate, even within a fiction context; I have done research on much of this before putting it into my story. **

**PS: Continued Happy Birthday wishes to dharmamonkey! Didn't know you'd be celebrating for several days, did you? **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Bones, just this story. **

Only about twenty minutes had passed when Brennan rejoined her partner in the office. "I've given Hodgins what I would believe is termed as 'free reign' to arrange for whatever we need in order to support the monkeys in a satisfactory manner." She broke out in a smile – the kind that told Booth she found something truly humorous. "He was quite excited to be working with them, Booth. He reminded me of a little boy. Apparently, he spent quite some time working with primates when he was obtaining his biology degree. I left the files that I collected from Emberly's apartment; seems Jack has experience with research companies, he may be able to offer some further insight to the young woman's findings." As she spoke, she gathered her belongings, preparing to leave with her partner to go question their suspects. "I told him that we'd come back after we are done at the Hoover."

"Sounds great, Bones." Booth closed the file in his lap. "I told Sweets and Shaw to go ahead and talk to the young ladies who found the body. They're intern volunteers working with the animals while studying to complete their degrees. Shaw believes they're both clean; they both have solid alibis for the night of the murder and no obvious beef with Emberly. In fact, from what Shaw said, it sounds like the three of them were pretty close, as far as co-workers go; they went out to dinner fairly regularly, dancing, drinks…double dates…" As they exited her office, striding across the open lab floor towards the door, he referred to his index cards, on which he made some notes while speaking with his colleagues by phone just a few moments before. "They were able to confirm that our victim was, in fact, socially seeing all three men who are currently awaiting our arrival at the Hoover, but she wasn't serious with anyone. One of the ladies, Dharma Ateles, said that Emberly had received some threats from a company – Apogee Pharmaceuticals – regarding the research she was working on. Shaw is looking into the company as we speak…"

Brennan stopped, as if caught by something unbelievable. "Did you say the girl's name was Ateles?"

Booth looked back at his notes. "Yeah, A-t-e-l-e-s. Why?" He searched her pretty blues, and waited for the explanation for her laughter.

"And this young woman, she was one of the _Primate_ keepers?" Upon receiving Booth's affirmative nod, she chuckled. "Well, some might say her choice of profession was _pre_determined." Her amusement was clear, but she didn't expand upon her explanation as they reached the SUV.

Booth watched her expectantly, raising his eyebrows and hands simultaneously. "Care to share the humor with me, here Bones? I'm sorta lost…" He settled in the driver's seat and watched her as she fastened her seatbelt carefully.

Raising her eyebrow in return, she smirked. "Ateles is part of the scientific name given to the species of monkeys commonly referred to as Spider Monkeys; they were named by a French Naturalist named Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire." She smiled and shrugged when she saw his evident confusion. "Don't ask me why I know that, because I can't explain why certain things made an impression on me as a student. Sometimes certain names or facts imprint themselves on a person inexplicably. This is one of those things…" She tugged at the collar of her trench coat, straightening it out. "You have to admit, it is apropos that a person with such a last name would end up working with primates…" She chuckled, the deep alto timbre that warmed Booth's heart each time he heard it. "I mean, she was working with Rhesus monkeys and larger primates, not Spiders, but _still_…" She let her head fall back against the seat as she studied his expression through her giggles.

_Bones is __giggling_, Booth thought with a disbelieving smile. _I love that sound_…

"And… there's more…" She smiled with a sigh, "In one context of Buddhism, the word _Dharma_ means 'the path of righteousness' or 'the way of appropriate behavior'… So, in essence, she was following the _appropriate path_ of career choice by working with primates."

He met her dancing smile with his own, shaking his head at her humor. "Well, Bones, ever think that maybe the reason she decided to study primates _was_ the meaning of her name?" He started the engine and pulled into traffic, listening to her fading chuckles. "Her parents thought 'Dharma' was a great name, giving her a great legacy of sorts…she's a wordie and decided to follow the 'path' that her name provided." He grinned at his partner, who was still finding the whole situation funny. "You, uh, you OK over there, Bones?"

"Yes…yes. I'm sorry, Booth. I just find the whole situation very…amusing, that's all." She smiled as she let her eyes skip across his face

He took in the healthy flush of her cheeks, admiring the way they brought out the brightness of her blue eyes. "Don't be sorry, Bones…It _is_ kinda funny."

B/B/B/B

Robert Schoom was employed by the Metro Zoo Foundation to run the online fan site, '_Non-Furry Friends of the Metro_'. It was an internet based community where people could share their experiences, post photos and chat about their encounters with the wildlife who called the Zoo 'home.' He had encouraged management to install cameras at different hotspots throughout the grounds that allowed people to log on at any time and see what their favorite animal was up to – a suggestion that was very well received by the public. While not having an animal background scholastically, Robert had a good understanding of the animals that resided on the property and catered the website attractively to draw visitors to continue their adventures online once they'd completed their in-person visit. And of course, as all Foundations do, they collected monetary support through donations made on the site, thanks to the convenient links installed by their Internet Guru.

Robert insisted that while he and Emberly saw each other occasionally, it was strictly a social relationship. They only ever went out drinking, or to the movies, or to dinner – nothing romantic. He had a solid alibi for the night that Emberly was killed, taking him out of the suspect pool immediately, but he was willing to answer any and all questions regarding his friend and her violent death. He provided several numbers at which he could be reached, day or night, and was eager to help in any way he could.

Jason Ritondo was the Metro's herpetologist. He was in charge of the safe keeping of dozens of snake species, as well as the other large reptiles on display at the zoo. The interview with him was much quieter than the one with Robert. Booth got the 'gut feeling' that Jason wanted more from his platonic relationship with Emberly, regardless of the continued denial from the young man. Jason had indicated that he believed, despite her insistence in only being interested in a friendly relationship with him, Emberly and he were 'destined' to be together.

Jason had no alibi for the night Emberly was murdered, besides the television shows he claimed to have watched, but was quick to point out that Emberly had recently been on the receiving end of less-than-pleasant communications from the Reston, Virginia-based research company Apogee Pharmaceuticals, as she had been uncovering questionable treatment of several primates before the animals came to live at the zoo. The young man agreed to forward some emails to Booth that Emberly had sent to him, expressing how upset and nearly-scared she was upon receiving some of these threats. His claim coincided with Brennan's preliminary findings, and the partners agreed to follow up with Hodgins to find out what he'd learned through his own in-depth review of their victim's notes and reports.

Larry Skinner was an enigma to Booth and Brennan; he was the zoo's caretaker for the large mammals. He claimed to love Emberly, but only as a friend. He also claimed that he was assisting her with the research she was compiling as evidence against Apogee Pharmaceuticals and that he knew, for a fact, that she was planning to leave the Metro to accept an offer from another, much larger Animal Park. The other two men whom they'd interviewed previously hadn't mentioned Emberly's pending move, nor had her friends that Shaw and Sweets interviewed earlier in the day. Larry also claimed that Em's co-worker, Jason, had more interest in her than just 'friends'. He said that while they'd been sitting and waiting to be questioned, he and the two other men had discussed the sad fate of their mutual friend. He indicated that while they were 'shooting the shit', a phrase that Brennan made a mental note to ask Booth about later, Jason seemed to get pissed that Emberly was planning to meet them each _separately_ for lunch or dinner, no matter how harmless Larry and Robert insisted their intentions were.

Larry's alibi had to be checked out; he claimed to have been at a local club on the night in question, but not with anyone specific. He said he'd gone out-on-the-town to try to 'score', but came home alone and depressed. Booth made note to have Shaw check out the club and ask the bouncers or bartender if anyone could place him there during the hours of 10:00pm and 2:00am. When Booth pressed him for more information regarding the accusations Emberly was planning to bring before Apogee Pharmaceuticals, he shrugged off the details, though he had just moments before, stated that he'd been an integral player in her work against them.

Booth released him, and Larry agreed to be available to any further questions, but stressed that they should check out Jason more closely.

Sitting in his office, Booth reviewed the notes that Shaw had made from her earlier discussions with Jazmyn and Dharma. "You know, Bones," he spoke as he continued staring at his file, "both ladies state that Emberly had _more_ than a platonic relationship with at least one man in her life, but neither offered a name. Jazmyn indicated that she thought it was an employee at the Metro, but Dharma seems to think it's a higher-up…a manager or supervisor… Both agree, however, that is was not Jason, Robert or Larry…"

As she flipped through Emberly's date book more thoroughly, Brennan shook her head slowly. "Well, there's nothing in here that I'm finding that would indicate she was seeing anyone on a steady basis – certainly not in the sense of a _monogamous_ relationship…" She raised her large blue eyes to her partner, feeling a sudden twinge of apprehension at the phrase she'd subconsciously chosen to use: _monogamous relationship_. She sighed, "Perhaps Angela has had more success with tapping into the victim's cell phone. It was pretty damaged, but she had confidence that she would be able to retrieve something of use once she wired it to the _Angelatron_." She closed the book and placed it onto the edge of Booth's desk. "I think I'll get a cab over to the lab and see what they've been able to determine."

Booth's eyebrows shot into his hairline. "What? I'll take you back, Bones. You don't have to get a cab…" He started re-filing the scattering of papers from across his work space, stacking them neatly into the heavy manila folder.

"You have enough to do here, Booth," she stood from her seat, suddenly sounding distant and cool. "I'll let you know what Angela uncovered, if anything…and hopefully by now, there are some bones for me to examine…" She quickly gathered her bag and jacket from where they rested on the couch against the far wall of his office. Without looking at him again, she rifled through her bag for her wallet and spoke. "I'll talk to you later, Booth. I'll call you."

Booth watched in confusion as she retreated. '_I'll call you_,' _she said, as in 'I'll call you – don't call me'_… He let his shoulders slump in defeat, unsure of what he'd done this time, to piss off his temperamental partner. Flopping back in his seat, he spun it towards the window and then completely around, so he faced his back wall of awards and metals…and his photos. There was one of his son; the one he'd taken just after Parker scored the winning goal at his last soccer match. Then there was a small snapshot of Parker, Pops and himself – taken at the nursing home's Family Fun Day they'd attended last month… Bones was at the picnic with them, but had insisted that she take the photo of the Booth-men, although Booth would have preferred to ask another attending guest to take the shot with her at his side as well. The third framed picture on his desk was, perhaps, his favorite. It was a candid picture that Angela had taken of Brennan and him at the Jeffersonian Fund Raising Event just before he shipped off for Afghanistan. He'd carried that picture with him when he went overseas and brought it back home with him when he returned, immediately replacing it on his desk when he'd regained his office. Even though he'd been with Hannah at the time, Booth suddenly realized that he'd never brought in a picture of the journalist for his desk; sort of a silent subconscious message that told him that they were never destined to make it.

With a loud sigh, he took one last look at the smiling faces that were looking at each other rather than the camera that was capturing their moment, and he turned back to his desk, re-opening the case file and making notes for Shaw, indicating on what he wanted her to follow up, including obtaining video footage of the Primate House from Robert and checking out the alibi for Larry.

He glanced at his watch, nearly five hours had passed since they left the lab and he felt his stomach growl before he heard it; 6:07 pm, and he hadn't eaten anything today except for a few French fries on the park bench that morning after his run. Shoving back from his desk, Booth rolled his chair aside and left, heading for the vending machines at the end of the hall, hoping to find something to stave the hunger pangs. He planned to give Bones about an hour, and if he didn't hear from her, he'd head over to the lab and try to kidnap her for dinner. _We need to talk_, he thought to himself. _And we need to do it soon_.

B/B/B/B

_Monogamous Relationship…. The phrase alone shouldn't freak me out,_ Brennan mentally berated herself during the cab ride back to the lab. _What the hell is the matter with me!? Hell, the idea of it shouldn't even freak me out…not when I think about it with Booth…Isn't that what we're trying to work towards? Isn't that what we were talking about that night at Booth's when we burned those damn little pieces of paper containing dates? _She rubbed her temples with the pads of her index and middle fingers, making little circles in hopes of easing the tension she was experiencing. _Aren't we trying to get back to where we were before? So we can move forward with our relationship? Jesus, Temperance, you need to get a handle on your feelings for that man…_

She didn't realize they'd stopped in front of her destination until the driver cleared his throat for the second time, glancing at her in the rearview mirror. "Isn't this where you wanted, ma'am?"

"Huh?" She looked up, startled, "Oh, yeah…yes, I'm sorry." She handed him the fare and slipped from the backseat, making her way slowly into the lab, lost in her thoughts of Booth and how to fix their conundrum.

As she walked through the sliding doors, Angela was just walking towards her office, her cell phone in hand. When she saw her friend enter, she smiled, "Sweetie, I was just getting ready to call you." She approached the anthropologist cautiously, seeing that Brennan seemed a little out of sorts. "You alright, Bren?" She stopped in front of her, forcing Brennan to make eye contact.

"Um, yeah, I'm fine Ange. What were you calling me about?" Brennan recovered her professionalism, certain she'd fooled her friend and thankful when Angela didn't pursue the line of questioning.

Nodding in recognition of Brennan's defenses being raised, Angela steered clear of that path for now and directed them, instead, down the discussion path of her findings. "Well," she motioned for Brennan to follow her to her office, "I was able to recover some texts that place Emberly at the zoo _on purpose_ on the night of her murder. Someone tried to delete the messages from her history, but they didn't know how to erase them from the hard drive of her smart phone. She was exchanging a conversation with one of her colleagues, Jason, and they planned to meet and discuss 'something of great importance', as he put it in his messages to her." Angela raised her eyebrow at Brennan, gauging her reaction, hoping to see that their line of questioning had somehow correlated with her findings. When Brennan made no reaction at all, Angela directed their walk towards her large monitors, where she brought up the string of texts for Brennan to read.

"Can you get these messages to Booth?" Brennan asked as she read, "Jason had no real alibi for that night, but claimed to have been home all night."

"Sure," Angela replied as she tapped a few keys and sent the discussion to their FBI liaison. Eyeing her friend from the corner of her eyes, Angela ventured a guess. "Did you guys have a fight?"

Brennan's brow wrinkled in response. "Why would you ask that?"

"Well, because you're here and he's not, and you've already questioned your suspects. Usually Booth would bring you back over here…but you came in a cab, I would assume. And _that_ is indicative of a fight or disagreement."

Brennan rolled her eyes at her friend. "No, we didn't have a fight. I just-" She stammered then took a deep breath. "Booth had other work to do, so I left and came back here to see if there was anything for me here. And there was…" she motioned to the monitors. "This. Thank you, Angela."

Angela recognized her best friend's walls as they reconstructed themselves. "Bren," she turned to face her, "have you guys talked? You know…about moving forward?"

"Angela, we have a case on which to focus. We do not have time for idle chitter chat." Brennan's face was stern and unyielding.

"Chit chat, honey, not chitter chat…" her smiled told Brennan that she was just trying to help, not making fun, but that would be the end of their 'personal' discussion for the moment.

"How did Hodgins do with the monkeys? Did he get everything he needed?" Brennan turned to face in the direction in the Ookey Room, but she was unable to see anything from within Angela's office.

"Oh, good Lord… He's in Monkey Heaven over there." Angela rolled her eyes and plopped her remote control down onto its docking station.

"I don't know what that means," Brennan replied, following Angela out of her office.

"It means that he is having WAY too much fun over here."

They entered the room to find Hodgins standing in front of the wall of cages, talking to the monkeys as if he half expected them to answer. Brennan noticed that the front of each cage had been affixed with Puzzle Feeders and several cages that had been originally separated were now joined, making larger cages in which the monkeys could socialize rather than remain segregated from one another. Each of their 'guests' was either sitting on its haunches or standing on its hind feet while attentively watching Jack drop Monkey Biscuits into the Plexiglas boxes.

When he heard the doors to the room slide open, he turned, admiring the way his wife's pregnancy caused her to waddle ever so slightly. His bright blue eyes sparkled with excitement as he readied to tell them about his newest discovery. "Hey Babe, hi Dr. B." He grinned wildly. "You guys should watch this." He turned back to the cages. "These are Puzzle Feeder Boxes, they are used to stimulate feeding behavior and they play a large part in the psychological well-being of primates, particularly monkeys, when they are in captivity." He eyed the women and made sure they were paying attention. "Now, typically it would take a monkey at least a few hours to figure out the pattern and be able to retrieve the biscuit from the feeding hole, but watch this." Jack turned back to the box and repositioned internal walls and paths before dropping a dry cookie-like nutritional snack into the top hole. "See the holes on the inside of the box, facing the cage?" He asked his audience of two as they neared, noticing that he had their complete attention. "Observe, please..." He pointed to one monkey and watched as the large female approached the box, flitting her eyes cautiously between Jack and the food. Settling on the platform in front of the feeder, the Rhesus stood on her feet, meeting Jack's stare with an intense and intelligent gaze. She turned her hazel eyes to the piece of food and poked her finger into a little hole designed to allow her to touch the food and tap it hard enough to send it sailing down the path of the internal maze. Within minutes, she had successfully navigated her biscuit through the clear walls of her puzzle and was rewarded with the food dropping into a spill shoot, into which she could scoop her finger, retrieving the treat and popped it into her mouth greedily.

Hodgins looked at his watch, then back to the ladies. "Eight minutes." He grinned, "She's the fastest one so far!" He grinned and bounced on the balls of his feet excitedly. "These guys are friggin' amazing, I'm telling you. No matter how I alter the maze, no matter how many dead ends I insert, these eight monkeys," he motioned to the small group inside the cage directly in front of him, "are crazy-smart…They watch, they study, and they wait…Then, when I motion for one to step forward, he or she does… and each time, it solves the labyrinth, just like that," He snapped his fingers and moved to the other cages. "These other little guys and gals, well, they're not a quick at those eight…" He grinned, as if he was watching children at play. "I set up these five puzzles, but they haven't been solved yet. Oh, and I put some treats inside those Kong toys, too, and they LOVE those…" He pointed towards the center of the cages, where various sized monkeys sat, playing with the toys and poking their fingers into the holes, trying to scoop out the peanut butter and fruit that Hodgins had hidden within.

"Well," Brennan spoke, "the animals _were_ in a laboratory, so obviously they were trained on such tools as these puzzles…"

"You don't _train_ Rhesus Monkeys, Dr. B. I mean, they can be _conditioned_ to react in certain ways when stimulated with the right variables – for example, when placed inside a squeeze cage, they will likely turn sideways to receive an injection, or when approached by someone wearing a certain color lab coat, they may become excited, expecting to be fed or agitated in anticipation of a physical exam. But they are never _trained_. They are intelligent and they're _fantastic_ problem-solvers, but I've never seen a Rhesus _this_ smart. Chimps are smart, orangutans are smart, apes are _freaky-smart_, but monkeys, while having an undeniable level of higher intelligence, are not usually this quick." The corners of his mouth rose ever so slightly, not in a smile, but in a look of disbelief as he shook his head slowly.

He glanced between the two women then turned back to the desk behind them. "I had a look at the notes you left, Dr. Brennan – the ones that Emberly wrote about Apogee Pharmaceuticals. Apparently, she had suspicions that the lab had performed tests on these specific animals before signing over the release and care to the zoo, as outlined in their contract; they had an open contract with the Metro that primates would live out their lives once the lab no longer had use for them." He handed some of his own notes over to Brennan, letting her see what he'd uncovered.

Just then, Fisher entered the Ookey Room, flinching at the volume of noise contained therein. "Excuse me, Dr. Brennan?" His voice was morose, as usual, and he eyed the monkeys with distain. "I have arranged the bones as you requested. Everything is ready for you."

"Thank you, Mr. Fisher," she spoke as she exited, anxious to get lost for a little while with something she was comfortable doing.

Fisher turned to Hodgins, "I find that monkeys are a great source of depression for me…They are hairy and noisy and ugly, yet they _never _have the difficulty that I have in finding a mate..." He turned away and walked from the office, leaving behind a smirking married couple, chuckling at their perpetually-sad intern.

B/B/B/B

Booth stalked into the lab an hour and ten minutes after his partner left his office. "Bones!? C'mon, Bones, where are ya?" He glanced into her office and found it empty, but her bag was where it always was, so he knew she was there somewhere. A quick look at the platform told him that nothing was on the exam table, so that left one place for him to search. He turned towards the bone room and smiled at Angela as he headed in that direction. She nodded from where she sat behind her desk, knowing that he knew where to find Brennan, and she stayed right where she was, silently hoping that her friend would give in and finally talk to the man she obviously loved, but to whom she refused to admit the truth.

"Hey, Bones," Booth kept his tone light, hoping that she wasn't still mad at him. He pushed down his own anxiety as it crept its way into his gut, still uncertain of what he did earlier that upset her so much.

"Booth!" She looked up from the microscope, seemingly excited to see him. "C'mere," she motioned him forward and pointed to the magnifier. She continued to speak as he bent at the waist, looking through the eye pieces. "It's metal. I found it imbedded in her skull." She walked back to the table, picking up the cranium and examining it. "I just send Hodgins a message to come get it, so he can run tests and tell us what it is; I assume it will match those pieces that Cam recovered from the flesh, but we won't know until Jack runs the tests."

"That's great, Bones, nice find…" he stood straight and looked at her with a gentle grin, just about to ask her to grab a bite to eat when Hodgins entered the small room.

"What did you find, Dr. B?" Hodgins reached for the outstretched Petri Dish, in which small slivers of silver metal was centered. He slid the lid carefully over the ¾ inch deep dish and eyed it carefully.

"These were embedded in the skull. Our victim was beaten to death, I'm sure of it." She turned back, locking her partner's eyes and then continued, pointing to a couple of pieces of stand-out evidence. "The damage to the back of her skull is consistent with repeated strikes from a sharp object, and based on the shards left behind, obviously a _metal_ object. She struggled with her attacker before receiving the final blow, however. Defensive wounds on her forearms and hands indicate that she fought back, and fought hard, just as Cam's autopsy revealed in out victim's flesh wounds. Hairline fractures in her ulnae and radii bones confirm that she was struck with a hard object, thin but strong – unyielding. Her ribs, here and here," she pointed to the bones in question, "contain damage that can be analyzed." She magnified the injuries and turned on the monitors, allowing the men to see the injuries to which she referred. "Dr. Hodgins, I'd like you and Mr. Fisher to analyze these injuries to determine what type of weapon could make these marks. Employ Angela's assistance if necessary, she may be able to recreate the weapon. Pay special attention to the injury on the back of the skull. Her occipital bone was punctured, I'd like Angela to recreate the possible scenario that could have done this damage."

Booth stepped forward, pointing to the screen. "Now, I'm no bone expert here, but even I know these don't look right…what are all these marks?" He turned to his partner with a raised eyebrow.

She looked at him with a knowing nod, "Whoever did this planned it out; this was not a frantic crime of passion, this was premeditated murder, Booth… Emberly's body was placed in the monkey cages with a definite strategy in mind. After she was killed, her murderer coated her body, paying special attention to the wounded areas, with peanut butter, just as Dr. Hodgins suspected. That is a common snack for captive monkeys." She swallowed thickly, "This is quite repulsive, but I understood it the instant I read Cam's report…" She handed the sheet she was about to reference to her partner. "The killer hid dried fruit _within_ the open wounds. The monkeys, being nothing more than monkeys, attacked what they saw as food… What you're seeing there, Booth, are their teeth marks…Rhesus Monkeys have incredibly strong and vicious canines. The killer knew they'd make it difficult to differentiate dental indentations versus weapon damage in the bone… But, not too difficult for us." She tried not to sound smug, but failed miserably.

Booth overlooked her conceit and instead wrinkled his forehead. "Teeth marks? _Those_," he pointed again to the amazingly deep impressions, "are _teeth_ markings?"

She nodded once. "Yes. I could go into more detail and determine which animal ate what, based on their individual prints, but I don't think that's going to be necessary; the monkeys aren't on trial here…the killer is." She met Booth's eyes and saw unmasked approval shining back at her, for which she was grateful. Deep down, she knew that she was continually seeking acceptance from her partner. She could deal with anyone else's doubts or disbelief, but she couldn't accept that from Booth. When she saw that he was impressed, she blushed and felt humbled, her arrogance disintegrating beneath his gaze. "Well, the killer _will_ be on trial once we catch him; that's what I meant…"

"I know what you meant, Bones." His smile warmed and his eyes became like molten chocolate. Softly he spoke as he took one hesitant step closer. "You did great…you always do great."

"Well," she tried to remain professional, though she wanted to just stare into the brown abyss that was threatening to swallow her whole. "I have to be sure to find the evidence _you_ need…you know, so you can do _your_ thing and arrest the guilty party."

Hodgins saw his opportunity to interject, realizing that the partners had forgotten he was there in the room with them. "Well, uh, Dr. B, I'm gonna just take this," he raised the hand that was holding the metal shard, "and get started. I'll hook up with Fisher and we'll start looking for a matching weapon." Hodgins turned to Booth, "before you leave, man, can you stop the Ookey Room? I think you need to take a closer look at Apogee Pharmaceuticals. I made some notes, in _plain-English_, outlining some of Emberly's accusations."

Booth nodded in appreciation that the bug-man 'dumbed-down' the inevitable science-speak that was bound to have been in the woman's journal. "Yeah, I'll be over in a few, Jack. Thanks." Watching the man retreat, Booth finally turned back to face his partner, feeling an indescribable, yet unmistakable, spark of energy arc between them. "Bones, you, ah…ya wanna grab somethin' to eat? I'll fill you in on my impromptu follow-up phone interview with Jason." Booth knew that by promising to reveal more about the case, he was more likely to get her to agree to leave the lab, especially after making such a find, and he smiled when he knew his instincts were correct.

"Yes, that sounds good. The diner?"

"Wherever you want, Bones." He moved aside as she walked towards the open doorway, easily falling into step with her and placing his hand on her back, as usual.

"I think I'd rather go to Sid's tonight," she said with a faint smile. "We haven't been there for a while."

He struggled to suppress his own grin, "yeah, that sounds good. It's been too long…" He waited in the doorway to her office while she gathered her jacket and messenger bag.

He watched her carefully as she paused. "Actually," her tone was cautious, unsure. "Do you think…Do you think we could get dinner to-go?" She looked up and met his dark eyes, feeling her stomach flip ever so gently when she recognized a tenderness in his gaze that he rarely showed anyone. "I feel like… I don't know what I feel like…but I just think I'd rather go home for a bit." She looked back down to where she was packing up her files from her desk. "Would you mind terribly?"

"Not at all," he replied quietly. "If you want company, maybe I'll hang out for a little while… If you don't have plans, that is. I don't want to mess up your evening."

As she stared down at her desk, she felt a familiar heat rising into her cheeks and a happy smile that she didn't even bother to try to hide escaped from somewhere deep within. "That sounds good, Booth. I was planning to invite you up, anyway. We can eat at my place, if you'd like."

Unsure of what was happening, but unable to deny her request, he simply nodded. "Yeah, that sounds great, Bones." He pushed himself away from the doorframe where he'd been leaning. "I'm gonna just go get those notes from Hodgins." He smiled in response to her grin and strode over to see what Jack had for him, pausing only briefly to glance back over his shoulder, only to see his partner watching his retreat. They locked eyes for a fleeting moment, and then Booth nodded once, almost imperceptibly, and turned back towards the Ookey Room.

"C'mon in, Booth!" Jack's voice called out, and the cacophony of monkey howls assaulted Booth's ears as the scientist cracked open the door. He shook his head and laughed as he approached the bright-eyed Bug-Man.

"Having fun, Jack?" Booth swept a gaze across the wall of monkey cages and noted how the volume in the room seemed to have exponentially risen when he entered.

Jack smiled. "Yeah, these guys are awesome. So friggin' smart…and every one of them has a distinct personality. They're great." He grinned and became animatedly excited. "Hey, you wanna see one of 'em solve a puzzle?" He reached for a few Monkey Biscuits and prepared to remove one of the feed boxes to display his discovery to Booth.

"Ah…no, Jack…But thanks. I just need to get those notes from you. Bones and I are gonna go grab a bite to eat."

"OK, well, maybe later…" Hodgins was visibly deflated that his friend didn't want to observe what he considered an awesome sight.

"Hodgins, it's not that I don't _want_ to…it's just…" Booth glanced over his shoulder, "Bones is ready to go, we're both hungry and we…" he sighed, "we need to take a break for an hour…that's all."

Hodgins nodded, recognizing a tone in Booth's voice that he didn't often hear in the agent. It was a nervous twitch, and Jack knew that something was going on, he just didn't know what. "Yeah, it's no problem, G-Man. Here ya'go," he handed Booth a folder. "These are my notes, and here're Emberly's originals." He then handed an evidence-bagged book to his colleague.

"Thanks." He nodded and turned back to the door, silently observing the excited primates as they bounced around their enlarged cages. Speaking over his shoulder, but not making eye-contact, he spoke to Jack. "Give us a call when you get the results on those metal shards, Jack. And, uh, thanks for dumbing down these notes for me." At that point, he met his friend's eyes. "I appreciate it."

"It's not 'dumbing down,' Booth. It's _interpreting_…There's a difference." Hodgins smiled, knowing that Booth often felt inferior in the lab, although the scientist also knew that there was much more to FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth than met the eye.

With an appreciative smirk, Booth nodded. "Well, thanks all the same. Call us." He left the Ookey Room, closing the door behind him and saw his partner waiting for him near the steps of the platform. He let a relaxed smile spread across his lips as he approached her, feeling a sense of calm envelope him at the thought of spending some quiet time with her, eating and talking. He wasn't sure they'd have the chance to discuss about what he _wanted_ to, but any time spent with her alone was worth it to Booth. Stopping in front of where she stood, he cocked his head, "ready, Bones?"

She nodded and smiled, "Yes. _And_ hungry... I didn't realize, it's after 7:00 already… _you_ must be nearing the point of starvation by now, Booth…" She smiled at his eye-roll and they exited the lab for a well-deserved break, even if it was only for a little while.

**Postscript A/N **

**The Puzzle Boxes that Hodgins references are real; they are awesome labyrinths that are used to reinforce cognitive thinking for primates in captivity. Primates are intelligent animals that need stimuli to keep from going semi-crazy in their cages. They also enjoy 'fishing' food and snacks out of Kong toys and hollowed-out branches; it gives them a challenge to conquer in order to 'earn' their food, and it helps in the behavioral stability of the animals**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know! **

**Peace & love, my friends, **

**~jazzy**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Welcome back! **

**Thank you all for the positive reviews so far on 'The Riotous Rhesus!' You've been so supportive, and I appreciate it more than I can say. **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Bones, just the ideas contained within this story. **

**Please read and review after you've read! **

"You want one or two beers, Booth?" Brennan called into her living room from her kitchen, where she currently had her head buried in her refrigerator, trying to reach a bottle of Yuengling that had rolled into the back. Finally gripping the longneck in her fingers, she sat back on her heels, triumphantly smiling when she saw that he was leaning against her kitchen island, grinning at her predicament.

"After seeing you go through so much trouble, Bones, I think I'll take 'em both." He stepped forward, his amusement clear in both his smile and his eyes, and extended his hand to help her rise, which she took without pause. He felt a jolt of electricity rake through his body at her touch, but he stilled his features and simply pulled her to her feet. "What are you havin' to drink, Bones?" He tried to keep his tone light, but had trouble doing so when she didn't let go of his fingers, but instead tightened her hold.

A moment passed.

And then another.

Their eyes never wavered from one another and before she knew it, Brennan was standing directly in front of her partner, her left hand still firmly holding his right, barely a couple of inches separating their bodies. Without her permission, the hand that was not gripping Booth's raised and found itself resting lightly on his chest. She could feel his heart beat through the thin material of his white oxford shirt and the heat radiating from his body increased the longer they remained in such close proximity. She could see his racing pulse as it throbbed in the hollow of his throat; her eyes were fixed on the visually-pulsating rhythm it created and she realized that it matched the flow of her own blood, which she heard rushing through her ears.

Without forewarning, Booth's empty hand found purchase on her hip and guided her closer to his body, until their hips were aligned perfectly. He struggled to control his breathing, but when he caught a whiff of her faint perfume, all logical thoughts flew out the metaphorical window. He felt his pants grow uncomfortably tighter, and against his better judgment, he bent his neck and tilted his head, letting his lips brush against her temple softly.

Brennan shivered when she felt his warm breath cross her skin. She felt as though her body was floating, like she wasn't in control of her own actions. She felt Booth guide her left hand, pulling her arm straight down to their sides and then angling it, until she completed the movement he'd started and wrapped her arm around his waist, grabbing the back of his shirt, just above the waistband of his dark gray dress pants. After releasing her hand, Booth ran his palm from her wrist to her bicep then snaked his arm around her shoulder, his hand coming to rest gently on the nape of her neck. He moved his right hand from her hip and slid it around to the small of her back and pulled her body tighter against his chest.

Booth thought his heart was going to break through his ribcage. He wasn't sure how they'd gotten into this position…one minute he was helping his partner off the floor, the next, he was inhaling her intoxicating scent – filling his lungs with her unique, sweet Bonesy fragrance and brushing his lips against the irresistible outer shell of her ear. He felt her lean into his embrace, and he couldn't help but smile against her temple, against her silky hair.

"Bones…" he breathed. He couldn't help but to let his lips press against her ear once again. "We need to talk…" He sighed silently when he felt her nod slightly and lean against him just a little harder. He subtly raised his head from where it was craned low and closed his eyes as she pressed her forehead against his jaw.

"Wine," she said quietly.

"Huh?" His mind was reeling, not following what she was saying.

"Wine. You asked me what I'm having to drink…with dinner…Wine…It's open…In the fridge…" Her words were breathy and he knew she, too, was affected by their closeness.

As her words passed over the skin of his neck, he felt his entire body prickle with goose bumps. He grinned at her literalness. "That's not really what I meant, Bones, when I said we needed to talk."

"I know; I know _exactly_ what you meant, Booth." She bent her head back so she could look into his eyes. "But we have a case to solve first. Then we can talk… about us… about what we each want… Once we can focus." Her eyes searched his, hoping for understanding.

He nodded, but didn't ease up on his hold of her body. "I can live with that…" His eyes darted from her captivating blues, down to her adorable nose, and finally settled on her flawless, picture-perfect pink lips, where he kept his focus as he spoke. "As long as you promise not to run once we start…Promise me, Bones…"

He studied the movement of her mouth as she formed the words. "I promise, Booth. I'm tired of running…I want us to talk…"

Raising one side of his lips into a smile, he wove the fingers on her neck into her soft hair and met her eyes once more. Pulling her head forward, he closed his eyes and pressed his lips to her forehead in tender kiss, lingering there for several moments and realizing that she was leaning into the kiss while gripping his shirt in her tight little fists. He pulled back and lowered his head, pressing his forehead against where he'd just had his lips, and rubbed his nose against hers affectionately. It wasn't until Booth felt Brennan release her grasp that he finally lessened his own embrace, meeting her quiet gaze. He unfurled his fingers from her hair and traced her cheek bone with the calloused pad of his forefinger. Loathe to breaking their spell, but knowing he had to, Booth smiled warmly. "I'll get your wine, Bones. Go ahead in and sit down."

She nodded and slid her open palm along the shoulder holster beneath her right hand, watching her movement with heavily lidded eyes. "Thank you," she whispered, and Booth suspected she was thanking him for more than just the wine he was about to pour for her, but he let it go. He released her completely and watched as she backed away with a shy smile, grabbing his beers as she moved into the living room, where he'd already set out their food and plates.

They fell into a comfortable banter as the partner's shared their meal, joking and talking with ease until the food was consumed, at which time they commenced their discussion of the case. Booth told Brennan that after he received Angela's email containing the correspondence between the herpetologist and their victim, he called the young man and subsequently put Jason under surveillance until they had more on which to hold him in custody. He said that Jason told him the plans to meet with Emberly hat night had changed last minute, and that he was not at the zoo the night of the murder. He maintained his story that he'd been home all evening. Jason disclosed that the whole reason they were meeting was to discuss the latest threatening letter she'd received from Apogee Pharmaceuticals. He also said that she had mentioned meeting someone named Michael later that night, but he didn't know who Michael was." Booth took a long drink of his second beer, nearly finishing it before continuing.

"He sounded jealous, if you ask me. We have to figure out who 'Michael' is, but Jason definitely wasn't happy about Emberly meeting with this mystery-man and cancelling her plans to meet him."

"Why didn't he tell us this in our interview?" Brennan's forehead creased in disbelief.

"Yeah, I asked him the same thing, and he said that it 'slipped his mind'… There may've been someone named Michael in her life, we still have to find that out, but there is no doubt that Jason was pissed about it. So far, my gut is telling me that it's him…but we need the proof first."

Brennan nodded and looked at Hodgins' notes as they lay on the table where Booth left them. "What does Jack say about Emberly's research?"

"I dunno. I haven't reviewed it yet." He reached for the folder and sat back on the couch, opening it so she could also read it from where she sat beside him.

They reviewed the file in silence for a few minutes, each reading until they both reached the same point, almost simultaneously.

"Hodgins' notes show that there's a man named Michael Patrickson employed by Apogee Pharmaceuticals…" Booth met Brennan's eyes as she reached for the bagged journal that rested on her coffee table.

"Booth," she unzipped the bag, "there was an entry in here, MP/AP, I saw it…but it was meaningless at the time, it didn't appear to be an appointment or meeting…" She flipped through the pages until she found the one she was looking for. It was listed in a sider note, along with a movie title, and book title and a list of what looked like serial numbers. "What do you think it means?"

Booth took the book from her and scanned the page. "I dunno, Bones… MP could be Michael Patrickson and the AP could be Apogee Pharmaceuticals. But what about these numbers? What could they be?" He pointed to the list of seemingly random numbers, but his partner shook her head as well, not understanding what she was looking at any more than he did.

Booth pulled out his phone and dialed Charlie. "Hey man, I know you're probably getting ready to go home, but can do you me a favor before you leave?" He paused and smiled. "Thanks. Listen, can you get me an employee list from Apogee Pharmaceuticals in Reston, VA? I need to verify the employment of one Michael Patrickson. I assume he is going to be a tech who works with the primate division of the research company." He paused, "yeah, thanks man, I appreciate it." He ended the call and looked at his partner. "Charlie'll let us know when he's done his search."

Brennan, who had been looking through Hodgins' notes in correlation with Emberly's journal, then picked up her phone and dialed. "Jack, the eight monkeys that you said were the smartest – the ones who can solve puzzles, do they have any distinctive markings? Any tags or piercings, like identification tags?"

"Well, they probably have tattoos, Dr. B. Typically, labs tattoo their subjects on the chest for easy identification. It avoids ear tags being ripped out in fights and is more cost effective than implanting bar code chips into the animals."

"Can you check for them? Let me know what their markers are?"

"Sure, Dr. B. Are you guys coming back to the lab? The Mass Spec is almost done with rendering the tests I'm running on the slivers."

"Umm, yes, Dr. Hodgins, we'll be heading back to the lab in a little while. Thank you."

She disconnected her call and told Booth about Hodgins' suspicions about chest tattoos on the monkeys. They proceeded to clear the table of the remnants of their meal and quickly washed the dishes before heading back to the lab. While the domesticity of their actions didn't escape either of the partners, neither one acknowledged it aloud as they moved about her kitchen. A few shy, quiet glances and blushing smiles passed between them were the only indications that they knew things between them were changing rapidly.

B/B/B/B

"So, whatcha got for us, Hodgins?" Booth asked, clapping his hands once as he and Brennan walked into the Ookey Room. He cringed at the uproarious explosion of monkey screeches that greeted them as they entered the relatively small workspace, as if he'd forgotten just how noisy the animals could be.

Jack grinned at the agent's reaction and motioned for them to go over to his adjoining office. "Let's talk in there, it'll be easier." He chuckled as the partners followed him.

Once they were in the quieter office, they were joined by Angela as well. Jack began, "OK, so I found all the tattoos you wanted to know about, Dr. B, here's a list of their serial numbers." He handed her eight strings of random serials, each one alpha-numeric in nature. "As I suspected, all eight animals had numbers tattooed on their chests; it's how they ID them in the lab-setting. I did similar tattooing myself when I was an intern at a lab in upstate New York, years ago."

"Why would they need to be numbered? Does it signify anything?" Booth asked as he watched the interactions of the animals through the large windows connecting Hodgins' office with the Ookey Room.

"You've never been inside a research lab, have you?" When Booth shook his head to the negative, Hodgins nodded slowly. "Well, most labs have _hundreds_ of animals… and depending on what type of research being conducted, these animals may be there 20, 30 years…They need to have a way to keep them all straight…Using names isn't practical, it forms unnatural bonds between the researchers and animals, and with so _many_ animals, the best way to maintain records is to do it alpha-numerically, just like the FBI does with case files."

Booth nodded slowly and Brennan looked through the list that Jack had handed to her. "Booth, these serial numbers correspond with the numbers written in Emberly's journal, right next to MP/AP. Michael _has_ to be the connection between her freelance investigation and the threats she was receiving." She handed the list to Booth just as his phone chirped with a text.

Pulling it out, he spoke, "Charlie confirms that Michael Patrickson _was_ a Lead Primate Research Specialist at Apogee Pharmaceuticals up until 4 days ago. His position was abruptly eliminated for undisclosed reasons. Charlie is having him brought in for questioning now; he called Shaw already." He bit the inside of his cheek in thought. "You know… if Emberly's research was endangering his employment at the company, _**or**_ had the direct impact of his termination _if _she'd already revealed her suspicions, this Michael-guy would have a perfect MO for murder. I imagine these people get paid good money…and the potential loss of a good income is not an uncommon motive and could very well be enough to send someone over the edge…"

Brennan listened intently to what Booth was murmuring and Hodgins agreed readily. "Absolutely, man… People can work for years and years trying to land a stable job with a research firm like Apogee. If whatever she was preparing to reveal would undermine what he was working on…well….I could see someone snapping…"

Angela picked up Jack's remote for the computer system and connected with the work she'd been completing that afternoon. "Jack's tests determined that the metal splinters were from an object made from an aircraft-grade aluminum alloy. I took the measurements of the injuries that he and Mr. Fisher provided, programmed them into my computer and came up with a few possible weapons that would be easily available within a zoo setting. Listening to all this, I have a suggestion." She brought up a stock photo of a Primate Catching Noose and looked to her husband with a raised eyebrow.

"Angie, that's it! It has to be it…" He looked at Booth and Brennan. "These are used to loop around a monkey's neck if it gets loose or if you need to move a particularly aggressive animal from one spot to another. Just like what a dog catcher uses…" His eyes were bright and, despite having worked long hours in the lab that day, he felt very alert. "The pole would be made of stainless steel alloy, which is 'aircraft grade'… He could have hit her on the back of the head, rendering her unconscious before delivering the final lethal blows…the girth measurement of the barrel matches the injuries on her ribs, forearms _and_ her shins… Working with primate, he would have known what the monkeys would do to her body, so he coated her in their favorite treat…"

Brennan studied the monitor while Jack spoke. She imagined the tool being used in the way that Jack was describing… There was something gnawing at her about his scenario. What he was saying made perfect sense and it was a good match for the repeated blows to the victim's forearms; it matched an injury on her ribs; and it would _almost_ match the skull fracturing. _**Almost**_.

Booth watched his partner attentively. He could see the metaphorical wheels turning in her head… and he motioned for their friends to remain quiet until she was ready to speak. Tilting her head to the side in silent contemplation, Brennan reached blindly for the remote from Angela and the artist gave it up easily to her best friend. Brennan then used the split-screen option and brought up images of the cracked cranium, virtually rolling the skull in various positions while doing the same with the Catching Noose, trying to line up the injuries.

Suddenly, she squared her shoulders and began looking around Hodgins' office. She dropped the remote onto his worktable and quickly walked over to his tool closet.

"Whatcha lookin' for, Bones?" Booth took a step forward, but gave her the space he innately knew she needed.

"I know what made those injuries…and it wasn't the Noose Tool." She rummaged through Jack's extensive collection of equipment. When she wrapped her fingers around the object she was in search of, she glanced over her shoulder at Booth with a knowing smirk. Looking back into the closet, she carefully maneuvered the long, thin metal weapon from her co-worker's closet. "This…is what killed Emberly." She turned to her friends, holding out a heavy gauge snake hook. "Well, not this particular one, but one very much like it." She moved quickly back over to the trio, pointing to the sharp point at the end of the Shepherd's Crook.

Before she could speak, Hodgins interjected. "Holy shit, you're right, Dr. B. Injuries from the hook would resemble tooth marks on the bone…a heavy-duty hook, like a _python hook_, would fit the bill perfectly…"

Brennan continued. "She was hit repeatedly with the shaft of the snake hook, causing the damage to the ribs, ulnae bones and shins. But that," she pointed to the monitor showing the Capture Noose, "would _never_ have caused _this_ damage," she then pointed to the image of the skull. "There's nothing on the noose that's sharp enough to puncture the occipital bone at the base of the skull resulting in the pierce to the medulla oblongata... But _this_," she pointed to the 5 ½ inch jaw opening and sharp point, "would be a perfect match." She turned back to her partner with renewed vigor. "We need to get our hands on every snake hook in that zoo, Booth. _And_ I think your gut was right on this one…The herpetologist is involved…"

Booth pulled his phone out and made the call to Caroline to get the search warrant they needed, pulling his partner in for a 'guy-hug' in the process.

The next couple of hours flew by in the metaphorical blink-of-an-eye.

Once they were through at the lab, Brennan sent Hodgins and Angela home with the promise to celebrate the next day.

Shaw released Michael Patrickson after questioning him, simply as a formality. She did discover that Emberly and he were romantically involved and that their relationship is what caused him to lose his job, since Emberly was bringing up charges against the lab. However, he was able to provide proof that another research laboratory there in Reston was eager to hire him on; it was actually going to be a promotion for him, so in that sense he couldn't be happier. At losing the woman he loved, he was grief-stricken, but determined to see that her research into mistreatment of animals would not die with her; her legacy would continue.

Booth picked up the warrant and, along with Brennan and a team of FBI forensics agents, searched the reptile house for the hook in question, finding it stashed in the back of a storage closet. Someone had attempted to clean it with bleach, and although there was evidence of snake blood on the tool, it was easy to determine that the presence of human blood was much greater. Jason was arrested for murder when he, under the intense interrogation of one Special Agent Seeley J Booth, combined with the cross-examination of world-renowned Forensic Anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan, crumbled into a blubbering mess, confessing to the murder within 20 minutes of the start of his interrogation, succumbing to the string of evidence held against him, including a video from the website that put Jason in the Metro near the Primate House on the night of the murder.

It was nearly midnight by the time Booth and Brennan were finished with their portion of processing their prisoner. Exhausted, but feeling good that they were able to bring such swift justice for the young scientist, Brennan slid quietly into the passenger seat of Booth's SUV and rested her head against the seat-back. She watched as Booth removed his suit jacket and tossed it into the back seat before getting into the drivers' seat.

He looked at the tired pale green-blue eyes of his partner and smiled. "Long day, huh Bones?"

She nodded in response and closed her eyes. She reopened them to meet his gaze and let a lazy smile spread across her face. "You have beer at your place, Booth?"

He wrinkled his forehead and squinted his eyes a little. "Always… why?"

"I want a celebratory drink, but I don't want to go to the bar. And you drank my last two beers tonight when we were dinner."

He grinned, "You're not too tired?"

"Nope. Let's go celebrate, Booth."

B/B/B/B

"Here ya go, Bones," Booth handed her a bottle of her favorite light beer, which he always kept on hand, just in case. After a quick clink of their bottles, he took a pull from his Yuengling Long Neck, flopping down onto the couch beside his partner. He let his head fall back against the couch, watching the way her throat moved as she swallowed her beer.

"So, Bones," Booth asked as she lowered her bottle. "What's going to happen with the monkeys?"

"Hodgins sent me a text while we were interrogating Jason. Apparently he didn't go home when we left, he did some above-and-beyond-work. He made arrangements to meet with Animal Control and Zoo officials tomorrow. Most of the monkeys will be taken back over to their home at the Metro. It seems that Jack made a substantial donation to the Zoo Foundation and is also making arrangements for the DC Animal Control to get a larger facility. And since he's been so generous with his monetary contributions to both organizations, everyone is willing to allow the majority of the Rhesus colony to continue to reside at the zoo." Brennan smiled happily, grateful that they were not going to be euthanized.

She continued after another small sip from her bottle. "The zoo management is worried about a media fiasco, however, once the public gets air of the gruesomeness of the death."

"Once the public 'gets wind,' Bones, not 'air." Booth smiled at her slip-up and clinked her bottle once again with his.

She smiled in return. "Yes, _that's_ what I meant… _Anyway_… Hodgins was able to determine, that the dental markers on the damaged bones came from only _three_ of the adult Rhesuses and, strange enough, they are part of the eight that were brought in from Apogee….The 'Super Eight Monkeys', as Hodgins is calling them… He is in negotiations with the other lab in Reston – the one who wants to hire on Michael Patrickson – about having them moved to _their_ property. That particular research facility is apparently a very-well respected company, and has agreed to house the animals for further study. They want to take an in-depth look into Emberly's concerns, and he's working on the contract to guarantee that they will no longer be used for active _pharmaceutical_ tests, but instead on behavioral tests and research. I think it's a win-win situation for everyone."

Booth smiled at her obvious approval of Hodgins' actions. "You aren't opposed to research companies using animals for study, Bones?" He raised an eyebrow, slightly confused about where she stood on the topic, given her opposition to zoos.

She thought carefully before answering her partner. "No. I'm not an antivivisectionist." Seeing his immediate confusion, she grinned, "That's someone who is opposed to using animals in a lab... I understand the necessity of animal use in science. If there was no testing on live animals, we wouldn't have the advanced medicine and knowledge that we possess today. Hell, even in my field of study, people start out by researching and learning on animals…human bodies are much harder to procure for scientific use." She took another small sip of her beer, and then continued. "The concept of zoos upsets me because so many of them obtain their animals through questionable or 'shady ways', as you might say. I know that things have changed in more recent times, but many of my beliefs are so deeply rooted, they're hard to overcome." She smiled at her partner, as he continued to lean back against the high back of the couch. "I _do_, however, like the Metro Zoo…I have a lot fond memories of being there with you and Parker…" She smiled shyly, lowering her eyes as she wondered if he, too, shared her fondness for their shared times.

When he didn't answer, she felt panic rising in her chest, realizing that he probably didn't share her thoughts. She lifted her bottle, more for something to do than to quench a thirst, and took another sip slowly.

**Postscript A/N**

**So, whatcha think? The case wrapped up nicely, but can these two overcome their issues and move forward? Or will they continue to dance around each other for who-knows-how-long? **

**Please review and let me know your thoughts! That's the kindest thing you can do for a writer after you've read…share your thoughts and prompt the Muse! **

**Peace & love my friends!**

**~jazzy**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N welcome back! **

**Thank you all for your continued support of this little story. **

**You asked for Rated M…. You got rated M, coming right up! (Pun intended!) LOLOLOL**

**Disclaimer: Nope… still don't own 'em…**

When she lowered her beer, she hadn't regained the nerve to meet his eyes, but he smiled and reached out, tapping gently against her chin with his knuckle and then hooked his finger beneath it slightly. "You were awesome today, Bones. I'm very proud of you."

"You are?" Her genuine surprise at his statement told Booth that she really didn't understand how wonderful she was. For all her lack of pride in many aspects of her work, she honestly did see the same amazing woman that he saw whenever he looked at her.

"Mm-hmm," he nodded as he affirmed his statement. "I'm always proud of you." He smiled as his eyes skipped over her features. In the soft light of his single table lamp, part of her face was in shadow, but he knew what she looked like by heart, so his mind was able to fill in what he couldn't quite see. "The way your brain processes evidence, the way you can string it all together, the way you justify and support your beliefs… I love to watch you work…" His words were quiet and carefully chosen; the low lighting and their close seating arrangement allowed an intimate feeling to settle over them.

Brennan set her bottle down on his coffee table and turned her body to face him, leaning her left shoulder into the overstuffed back cushion of his couch and looping her left leg up underneath her right thigh. "You were quite impressive to watch, also, you know. You knew it was Jason before we ever had the evidence to back it up. I will never understand your gut instinct, Booth, but I trust it. Seven years ago, I thought you were crazy to follow a 'gut feeling', but now…" she smiled softly, "now I know it's just a talent that you have – a knack for knowing the unknowable... And sometimes I wish I could experience a gut feeling… I feel like I'm missing out on something amazing…"

Booth leaned forward and rested his beer bottle on the table beside hers and leaned back again, this time, turning his body so he was facing her in a mirror image of how she sat, leaning into the couch-back with his right shoulder. When he repositioned himself, he was closer to her than he had been before, but she didn't pull away. He wasn't yet in her personal space, but he was close to it, and Brennan felt her pulse begin to race.

"Bones…" He searched her eyes momentarily then dropped his gaze to his own hands where they rested on his legs. Looking back up, he took a deep breath. "Bones, do you still feel…impervious?"

She looked deep into his chocolate orbs and held her breath. She slowly shook her head. "No…" It was a quiet response, and she slowly exhaled the air she was holding. "Not with you, Booth… There are a lot of things that I don't believe I'll ever allow to emotionally penetrate me…But…you've done that already." She smiled softly when she saw the relief in his eyes.

"That's good…" His response came out in a breathy whisper as he studied her face; her bright eyes, her flushed cheeks, her slightly turned-up nose…her oh-so-soft lips. He remembered the sweet taste of those lips and he paused to outline them with his eyes before looking back up into her blue-green irises.

"Are you still angry, Booth?" Her pleading oceans asked as much as her words and he saw her uncertainty as she awaited his answer.

"No, I'm not angry." He reached for her left hand and covered it with his much larger right one, resting them on her thigh. "I'm _so_ sorry, Bones…" He fought back emotional tears as he remembered the pain he'd caused her after they came back from their respective corners of the earth. Before she could cut him off, he continued. "For everything…I'm sorry I tried to push you that night at the Hoover…I'm sorry I scared you into running half-way across the globe…"

"Booth, I…" she started to interrupt, but he shook his head.

"No, Bones. Please let me finish…" He wrapped his fingers around her hand, still keeping it situated that his palm was flat against the back of her hand as he held her. "If I hadn't pushed you, we wouldn't have run from each other. And I _was_ angry…I'm not going to lie. I was angry that I couldn't have what I wanted… And that was you…" He swallowed thickly and was happy that she remained silent so he could continue. "And I'm sorry that I tried to find happiness with someone who wasn't you…"

"You don't have to be sorry, Booth," she managed to interject, although she knew he wasn't through speaking. "You did exactly what you said you would do…exactly what I told you it was OK to do…"

"But I should have known, Bones. I claim to be able to read people; but I wasn't anywhere close to understanding what I was reading in you…" He turned her hand over in his, and traced her palm with his thumb as it hooked completely around her much thinner hand. "That night… in the truck during the Eames case, when you told me you didn't want regrets…I can't explain to you the pain…the anguish I felt that night. And when I told you that Hannah wasn't a consolation prize…that was a lie. It was a lie and I shouldn't have said it…but I was angry then as well. I was angry that you waited until I was trying to move on to decide that you actually cared. And somewhere, in the back of my mind, I knew that I should have broken it off with Hannah that night; immediately…But my conscience got the better of me; and then I worried that if I did that…what if, once the case was over, you went back to being cut-off and distanced from me… I didn't know how I'd handle that." He studied their hands; her pale skin against his olive tan pigment…her soft daintiness against his hardened callouses…her elegant long thin fingers against his thicker, stronger ones… "I hated being angry and I'm so sorry… I hated the man I became, and I will forever be grateful that you didn't dump my ass as your partner, demanding a new one from Cullen when I was such a dick…"

"Booth, please stop." She reached her hand up to his cheek and palmed it until he looked up into her eyes. "I never held anything against you… I won't lie and say I wasn't hurt; because I was feeling more pain than I ever thought possible. And I don't say that to make you feel bad, I tell you that so you understand that I knew I had made a mistake in turning you down. Once again…I should have trusted your 'gut instinct'… But I was scared…"

"They're usually pretty reliable – my gut feelings…" He smiled tenderly, looking deep into her blues as he turned her hand once more in his, this time so her palm was against his. "Not always…but _most_ times…" He could see her cheeks turning pink, and he knew she was feeling something akin to the nervous emotion was he was also experiencing. "Like the first time I saw you…Up there on that lecture stage at American University…talking about dead bodies or whatever you were lecturing… I not only thought you were the most beautiful woman I'd ever laid eyes on, but I also _knew_ that together, we would make a great partnership… I didn't understand a damn thing that came out of your beautiful mouth, but I knew I wanted to learn more…" He intertwined their fingers intimately. "And I asked you if you believed in fate…"

"And I told you 'no'…" she replied immediately, "absolutely not... Ludicrous…" She smiled at the memory as she tightened her grip.

He watched in awe as her eyes started to sparkle at the shared memory, and her cheeks grew even rosier. "And then…you helped me solve the case…and somewhere in there we kissed…you hit me…we fought…You _hated_ me…"

"You bullied me…_and_ you _fired_ me," she rebutted, playfully, now knowing that he was not at all bullying her back then.

"And I lost you for a whole year…" His statement was rich with emotion, and spoken barely above a whisper. "You wouldn't answer my calls…you wouldn't respond to my emails…" He swallowed thickly as he saw the telltale signs of tears building behind her eyes. "But still, somewhere in my gut…I _knew_… I knew that we were destined for great things." He smiled when he saw the threatening tears subside from behind her watery blues and a tiny smile touch her lips.

She couldn't help but tighten her grip, her fingers trembling slightly from nerves or anticipation – she didn't know which. She searched Booth's deep chocolate eyes and saw _so much_ emotion within them that her breath caught in her throat; her mouth suddenly felt like it was full of cotton. "Did you really believe all of that _back then_?" She wondered aloud, letting her thumb stroke across the back of his hand involuntarily.

"_**I knew**_, Bones…I never had a doubt that we'd be the best. My _gut_ told me so…" He grinned and leaned closer to her by a few centimeters. "Your gut talks to you, too, Bones. You just have to learn how to hear it…and _listen_ to it once in a while." His smile reached all the way up to his eyes and he brought his left hand up to brush a loose tendril of hair from her cheek.

"I think my gut is trying to tell me something now, Booth…" She held her breath and searched his face with wide, questioning eyes, noticing that he was still getting closer.

"Is it?" He tucked the same lock of hair behind her ear and tightened the hold he had on her hand. "What's it telling you?" His eyes bore into hers, searching for an answer, or perhaps for permission…

"That… you would never hurt me…" She fought back tears she didn't understand.

"I'd rather die before hurting you again, Bones…" He could feel her hand tremble a little more.

"And…That you will never leave me..." Her eyes traveled from his eyes to his lips and back.

"I'll always be right beside you..." He saw her bottom lip quiver in his peripheral vision, before she sucked it in between her teeth for a moment.

"That… you believe in me… and trust me…" She felt her cheeks flush with the familiar heat she'd been experiencing lately whenever she was alone with her partner.

"Like I believe in no one else, Bones; I trust no one more than I trust you…" His honesty was clear to see and hear in his immediate response. "I trust you with my life."

A moment passed.

And then another.

"Wanna know what _my_ gut is telling me, Bones?"

He was so close that she could feel his warmth breath as it caressed her cheek. She couldn't talk, her throat stopped working. So, she simply nodded as she struggled to control her breathing and the erratic racing of her heartbeat.

Booth's left hand, which had brushed the loose hair behind her ear, still held on to the bottom fringe of that tress, winding and unwinding the silk between his roughened and weathered fingers. He let the hair fall from his hold and moved his open palm to the back of her head, gently pulling her to him as he closed the rest of the distance between them.

"My gut is telling me that _now_ is finally the perfect moment to do this…" His words were mumbled against her mouth as he slanted his own to capture her lips in a tender, but heated kiss. He silently asked for permission and she granted it, parting her lips beneath his, allowing him entrance into the warmth of her mouth.

She swallowed his deep moan and echoed one of her own into his throat. Brennan let go of the death-grip she'd had on his hand and brought both her hands up to his shoulders, grasping him hard, as if to ensure he wasn't going to pull back. Booth had no intention of pulling back. He cradled her smooth, square jaw in his large hand and deepened the kiss even further, using his thumb to pull down on her chin, opening her mouth further for his exploration.

Booth felt dizzy as he swept his tongue against hers in a warm, soft dance. He trailed the very tip along the line of her adorably small teeth, learning and reminding himself of her distinct flavor and feel. He moaned as he felt her hands run along his shoulders and come to rest at the nape of his neck, pulling him closer…_impossibly_ closer to her… He felt the moment she started demanding more from him. Her tongue chased his back into his mouth, so she could become reacquainted with his essence. They tangoed, nipped, sucked and tugged. Booth fisted into her tangled hair, tilting her head in the direction that he wanted it to lean. The palm that had been holding her jaw skimmed down towards to waist, his knuckles barely glancing off the soft mounds of her breasts as he moved. Reaching his destination, he wrapped his fingers around her tight waist and forced his hand between her body and the back of the couch until he was wrapping his entire arm around her torso.

Using his shoulders for leverage, Brennan pulled herself closer, raising to her knees on the cushion next to him as she spread her fingers into the short hair on the back of his head. As she rose up, Booth used that to his benefit and pulled his mouth from hers until he was trailing open, wet kisses along her jawline towards her ear. As his mouth moved along her skin, Brennan let his manipulative hands and arms pull her to his lap, where she straddled his thick thighs without question. Letting her head fall backwards, she bared her throat to her partner, giving herself to him to do with as he pleased.

Booth kissed the long, thin column of her neck in no particular pattern, skipping from side to side, nibbling and licking. As his mouth worked wonders on her neck, his hands started doing some exploring of their own. Finding the bottom hem of her blouse, Booth traced it around to the front, where the two sides came together in a row of tiny buttons. Not wanting to push her too far, too fast, but simultaneously struggling to maintain some semblance of control, he let his fingertips duck beneath her shirt just enough so he could touch the smooth, soft skin of her abdomen and waist.

When Brennan felt the touch of his calloused fingers against her bare skin, she felt a jolt of electricity course through her body, lifting her head immediately. She placed her open palms on either side of his face and angled him the way _she_ wanted, and crashed her mouth onto his, involuntarily bucking her hips against him as she moved. As she ravished his mouth, her skillful fingers started tugging at his tie, loosening it further than it already was.

When she rotated against him, Booth slid his hands down and splayed them around her hips, holding her tight as he bucked up in a primal response. They dueled for control until the sheer lack of oxygen made it necessary for them to break their kiss. Bringing his large palms up to cradle her face, Booth watched Brennan try to catch her breath. Her eyes were closed, her cheeks flushed, and her lips were kiss-swollen and red; he was _mesmerized_ by her… by _everything_ about her. He could feel the flex of her femininely strong fingers along his shoulders, as she moved them back and forth, memorizing his musculature, and he smiled gently, waiting for her to open her eyes. As if on command, her dark lashes fluttered as her lids opened, and he was struck breathless at the brilliance of the blue-green oceans that threatened to swallow him whole.

He rubbed his thumbs against the softness of her cheeks, then brushed another errant curl away as it crept forward, covering his fingers. "Bones," he breathed her name as he leaned in, pressing a tiny kiss to the corner of her mouth. When he pulled back, his smile grew as her lips spread into the most gorgeous smiled he'd ever laid eyes on. "Bones…Tell me that I'm reading you right…Tell me that you want this just as much as I do…" His features grew serious before he continued. "Because I need you to be all-in…_Please_ tell me that you are…" His molten chocolate eyes pleaded with her. "I can only do this if we're both going into it with our eyes open…no misunderstandings…no misleading…" He swallowed slowly, watching her as she watched him.

Her eyes searched his handsome, rugged face and she brought the fingertips of her right hand up, brushing them across his lips carefully. "You want it _all_…right? _Everything_?"

He couldn't answer; his throat had closed up. He knew she didn't believe in that kind of relationship… a monogamous, long-term devotion to just one person. He knew she was afraid to let people grow too close to her for fear that they'd bring her more unbearable pain… He knew that she trusted him; but how _much_ she trusted him, he simply didn't know… And that one little morsel of knowledge that he _didn't_ have _terrified_ him.

He nodded slowly, trying to read her expression and bracing for the worst while praying for the best.

After several silent moments, as the partners searched each other's eyes and caressed each other's skin, Booth caught a sparkle of acknowledgement shining in her eyes. She let one side of her lips curl into the sexy, crooked grin that served to drive him mad with want since the first time he witnesses it grace her irresistible mouth.

"You can have it…_All_ of it, Booth. It's yours… _I'm_ yours…."

The words had barely left her lips before he was reaching up to her again, his tongue seeking immediate entrance, as if to test her promise. Of course, she didn't deny, allowing him to claim her through his heady and demanding kiss. She recognized, as she returned the kiss just as eagerly, that she'd said exactly what he wanted to hear… She'd done it right. Through all her fears of messing up the relationship they'd spent so much energy on trying to repair, she finally realized that all she ever had to do was give him that one promise… _He could have it all_… It was a promise that she never imagined herself making to another human being. But here, in the safety of her partner's embrace, feeling all of his emotions as he poured them out to her through his strong, sensual lips, she knew he would not use that vow against her. _Quite the contrary_, she thought…_If I know Booth, which I __**do**__, then I'm certain he will cherish that promise. And in return I will do whatever it takes to make sure he's satisfied and happy_…

Before she knew what was happening, she felt Booth's large hands spanning her ribcage, beneath her blouse, his calloused touch sending shock waves through her body. His thumbs brushed against the undersides of her heavy breasts as they fought against the confinement of her bra. She speared her fingers into his hair, gripping his short spikes as she leaned into the kiss, effectively pressing her torso against his completely as she rotated her hips against the impressive bulge she felt growing beneath her heat.

Not having the patience to bother with the _way-too-many_ buttons he was facing, Booth bunched her shirt up, pushing it up her body and forcing her to lift her arms so he could pull it over her head. She complied without resistance, letting Booth maneuver her the way he wanted. She lifted her arms, and shivered when she felt the cool air from his apartment touch her warm skin.

Suddenly, Booth's vision was filled with that which he'd only dreamt about for years. As he pulled her green blouse from her body and dropped it to the side, he watched as his partner's loose auburn curls fell down over her pale shoulders. Booth looked at her in silent awe, his lips parted, but not speaking. His fingers itched to touch her, but he couldn't make his body move; he couldn't make his fingers unclench from here they had molded themselves against her clothing-covered hips.

The milky white skin that was bared before him left him breathless. Brennan's breasts were heaving, nearly spilling out over the low-cut cups of her demi-bra. He let his eyes trace the shoulder straps of her sage-green bra, down to where those straps met the rest of the skin-hugging material. He followed the outline of the lacy cups over each perfectly shaped mound then settled at the cleavage they formed, his mouth watered in anticipation.

"_Bones_…" He finally trailed his fingertips up her arms, where he hooked his forefingers beneath the elastics and slowly pulled them down over the lightly-freckled skin of her smooth shoulders. He saw her shiver and raised his eyes to hers. Booth saw openness, vulnerability, and nervousness staring back at him. He was suddenly afraid that he'd moved ahead too fast.

She felt anxious about what he would think of her…about how she should react to his touch…about what he expected from her… Temperance Brennan was not a shy woman; she knew she was pretty; she knew men found her sexually attractive. But in all her life, she never had a man look at her with the awe that she witnessed in Booth's eyes. He was silent as he watched her and that made her uncharacteristically nervous. She was concerned about the scars on her body – about what he would think of them when he saw them… They were testimonies to what she'd endured through her years in the foster system. Instinctively, she knew that she had nothing to be ashamed of, but that common-sense did nothing to ease her anxiety.

Recognizing her tension, Booth brought both hands up to cradle her jaw and brushed one thumb against her lower lip. "Bones…You're _so_ beautiful…" he breathed heavily as he saw the telltale signs of tears starting to form behind those oceans of blues. He leaned up to kiss her tenderly once when he felt her chin quivering. He pulled back, but only slightly, so he was still speaking against her mouth. "It's OK, Bones… We don't need to go any further, baby… I'm sorry…" He pushed his fingers backwards, into her hair and pulled his eyes back to look at her. "I shouldn't have moved so fast…"

She smiled down at him through her tears, and brought her hands to a mirror image of how he held his. "It's not that at all, Booth." Her words were soft and she bent to kiss him lightly. "I just don't want to do anything wrong…now that we're…" She shrugged shyly, "I just don't want to mess up… I didn't know what you would think of me…"

"Oh, Bones…" he pulled her in for a kiss once more, deepening it immediately and he smiled into the kiss when she responded just as heavily, plunging her tongue into his mouth impatiently. She sighed against his lips when she felt his hands slide from where they'd been holding her face, and lowered until they circled around to her back. His left hand pressed against the small of her back, that familiar spot that he claimed as his long ago; his right hand fingered the hook at the back of her bra, deftly and quickly snapping it open before running his palm across the whole silky surface of her back and bringing it up to cup the nape of her neck.

She struggled to shift her arms so she could lose her bra completely, but he was pressed against her so fully, it was a near-impossible task. "Booth…" She muttered when he finally broke for air, "I need…" She couldn't get her words out because he took control of her mouth again, covering it completely with his.

Knowing what she wanted, what she needed, Booth moved his hands and pulled each strap completely down her arms, feeling the cups that were containing her soft breasts pull free with a tug. He growled when he felt her hardened nipples scrape against him, through his work shirt, and suddenly, he felt overly-dressed.

As if reading his mind, Brennan returned to her task of removing his tie, tossing it aside and proceeded to unfasten most of the tiny white buttons until she couldn't continue – the bottom of his shirt was still tucked into his work slacks. He moved his mouth from hers and left a trail of wet kisses along her jaw and neck while his hands came up and measured the size and weight of each perfectly-sized breast, lightly pinching her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers. Mumbling against the hollow of her throat, something resembling the words 'gorgeous' and 'fucking awesome', he moved his lips southward, until he could take one pert breast into his eagerly awaiting mouth.

"Ahh!" It was a sudden, unexpected moan from deep within Brennan's chest when she felt the wet warmth of Booth's tongue against her skin. She tried to push his shirt from his shoulders, but it didn't get past his muscular biceps, because he wasn't moving his arms from where they were currently stationed on her body. She gave up the struggle to disrobe him and just let herself get lost in the feelings he was eliciting in her body, holding on to his shoulders to avoid falling backwards as he laved each nipple in turn, lavishing attention equally and occasionally settling in the valley of her cleavage, licking and kissing her body in ways that she never thought she'd feel.

Without conscious thought, Brennan began to once again rotate her hips against his; positioning herself so she could feel the growing length of his cock against her clit, despite the layers of clothing separating them. She needed pressure…she needed release…she needed him. More than she ever needed anyone in her life – more than she ever needed another man – she needed Seeley Booth. All of him.

She grabbed his jaw and pulled his face away from her breasts and up to her lips, where she licked into his welcoming warmth without protest. Remembering a discussion from long ago, Brennan pulled back, but only slightly, and whispered against his stubbly cheek, her breath grazing his masculine skin back to his ear. "Teach me, Booth… Make love to me…and teach me how to 'become one', breaking the laws of physics…"

Without a second thought, Booth scooted forward in his seat cradling her bottom in his hands, and stood from the couch. She wrapped her strong legs around his hips as if they'd rehearsed the move for years, and dug her fingers into the flesh of his shoulders, her nails biting his skin, even through the material of his shirt. The change of position as he stood, caused her core to be pressed against his abdomen, and he could feel her heat radiating, drawing another deep growl from his chest as he bit her neck lightly, and licking it to then sooth the sting. He walked them back into his bedroom and silently encouraged her to lower her legs as they reached the edge of the bed.

When she was standing in front of him, still pressed completely against his body, he looked at her with desire dripping from every pore. "I want the lights on, Bones…I want to see you…" When she met his eyes, he was uncertain of her preferences, so he asked, "Is that ok?"

"I want to see you, too, Booth…All of you." She stretched up on her tippy-toes and tugged his lower lip into her mouth tenderly, licking the length of it before letting it go once more and dropping back flat-footed. With a resurgence of insecurity, Brennan searched his face. "Booth…I have scars…" she struggled to hold back the tears of fear that he'd find this repulsive. If there was one person in the world that she feared would find her scars ugly, it was Booth.

"I've got scars, too, Bones…But when I look at you, I don't see them…I see the woman I love…" He hadn't meant to say it just then, but once it was out, there was no retracting it. He just hoped that it wouldn't be too much for her to handle all at once.

"You love me?" She asked simply and innocently.

With a single nod, he met her intense gaze. "I've loved you for a long time, Bones. And I will continue to love you until the day I die…" There it was…his hand was out on the table for her to see…

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him close, pressing her face into the side of his neck and breathing in his familiar cologne and a scent that was just 'Booth.' She closed her eyes and nuzzled, "I love you, too, Booth."

The words came out into the world in a choked whisper, and Booth felt faint. He knew that for Brennan to say those three little words, it took great effort and bravery on her part, _and_ a countless amount of faith in him. He knew his Partner had never 'loved' anyone, outside of her family when she was a child. She carefully loved her friends, but would not openly vocalize those feelings… But what she confessed in that quiet moment, as his hands were splayed across her bare back and her arms had drifted down to encircle his waist tightly, was a moment of evolution in the ever-changing-Temperance-Brennan.

Booth bit back tears of relief; happiness; awe… He held her tighter against him, lowering his head so he could press his lips to the juncture where her neck met her shoulder. "Thank you," he breathed against the shell of her ear. "Thank you, Bones…"

After several tender moments, Booth's body began to scream for more. He pressed against her slightly, testing to see if she would be receptive to continuing where they left off before their emotional declarations to each other. He moved his lips from her ear to her forehead and then lowered his face, so his forehead was pressed against hers. He could see the remnants of tears clinging to her dark lashes, where they rested against her upper cheeks. He brought one hand up to her cheek and thumbed away the wetness he found. "Bones…"

She looked at him without hesitation, opening her wet, but bright, blue eyes wide in silent question.

After a moment of silently watching each other, Booth's mouth curled into a lopsided grin. "I love you, Bones…" He was just testing how it felt to say it out loud, and truth be told, testing how she'd react.

Brennan met his smile with her own crookedly adorable grin. "I love you, too." This time, when she said it, she was staring him in the eye, not nuzzling into his neck, and she felt a sudden freedom in the phrase. "I love you…" She said it the second time because it felt so damn good to say aloud. Her half-smile grew into a full-blown, radiant beam of metaphorical sunshine and she kissed Booth in return as he lowered his lips to hers.

Booth slid his hands down to the waistband of her slacks and thumbed open the button and zipper quickly. Hooking his fingers into her pants and panties together, he stepped back slightly, so he could appreciate what he was about to reveal, and he peeled down her clothing slowly. Almost stumbling backwards, Booth caught himself as he saw her, for the first time, in a way he had only imagined. And the 'Bones' in his imagination didn't compare to the 'Bones' that now stood in his bedroom, at the edge of his king-sized bed, gloriously naked for him to see.

He must have been staring for too long for Brennan's liking, because she smirked and tilted her weight to one hip. "Booth, you're wearing too many clothes." Her voice was husky with seduction and her eyes shone with anticipation. She reached forward and finally shoved his white oxford from his shoulders, revealing a skin-tight white undershirt beneath. She grinned when he didn't resist her hands as they popped the Cocky belt buckle loose at his waist and let his pants drop into a puddle at his feet. She ran the palms of her hands against his stomach, beneath the t-shirt and pushed it upward, sliding her hands along his body as she undressed him.

Booth raised his arms without argument and let his lover remove his shirt until he was standing before her in just his black and white striped boxers, which, incidentally, matched his black and white striped socks. He met her amused smirk with one of his own.

"What? I happen to be a very coordinated kinda guy…" He mused as he looked down and wiggled his toes as she chuckled about his matching set. Without pause, Booth brought his hands up to her laughing face and cradled her as he leant in for a soft kiss. He felt her smile fade into the kiss beneath his mouth, as she rubbed her hands across the bare skin of his abdomen and chest.

"Mmmm…" she moaned into him. "I always figured you'd have smooth skin, Booth, but this…" she ran her fingers up his sides, from his waist to just below his arm pits, "is better than I imagined…"

"Glad to know I wasn't the only one imagining things, baby…" he mumbled in response as he nuzzled the soft area beneath her earlobe.

"Don't call me 'baby', Booth…I'm not an infant…" Her rebuttal was weak, if anything, followed by a sigh of approval at his ministrations.

"OK, baby…" He switched sides and licked beneath her other lobe as he grinned. He spanned his hands around her ribcage once more, using his thumbs to press up on the fullness of her breasts from beneath, while simultaneously moving her back towards the bed once again. When he realized her calves were pressing against the mattress, he reached down and took her hands, one in each of his, and brought them both up to his lips, kissing them in turn. "Lie down, Bones…Let me look at you…"

At a request that would normally have struck her as odd from any other lover, she simply blushed at the predictability of her partner's desire. She sat on the edge of the mattress slowly and, before scooting back towards the pillows, reached out for the waistband of his boxers. Booth caught her wrists, however, and stopped her movement.

"Nu-uh…" He shook his head no, as his eyes darkened with desire. "I have to keep these on for now…otherwise this ain't gonna last long…" He bent at the waist, effectively moving said-waist out of her reach, and kissed both wrists, before meeting her gaze again.

"Booth…" Brennan's voice was low and raspy, "we can take our time later…For now…just…I need you." Her hands reached up and gripped his shoulders, trying to pull him down on top of her as she attempted to lay back.

"No, Bones…We can never recapture our first time…And I'm gonna make this perfect for you…We _are_ going to bend science to our will, and we _will_ occupy the same space…" When he saw the telltale sign of his partner's inevitable rebuttal, he laid a finger against her lips. "Bones…I promise, next time, and any time after that, you can have it however you want it…Fast and hard; slow and lazy; kinky or straight…Whatever… And believe me, there will be times that I just _take_ it because that's how I need it…and you will _demand_ it because that's how _you_ need it… But tonight, we do this my way." He silently encouraged her to lean back onto the bed, to which she complied, spreading her body out for him to admire.

"Bones…Tonight, I'm gonna learn what makes you purr in pleasure…and what makes you scream in ecstasy… and what makes you moan my name breathlessly…" He kissed her as she settled into the softness of his over-stuffed king sized pillows. "Tonight I am going to watch how beautiful you are when you cum around my fingers…" he traced one finger along her outer thigh as he crawled further up on the bed beside her. "And I am going to memorize how delicious you taste when you explode against my mouth, coating my tongue with your juices…" he bowed his head and licked one nipple with the flat of his tongue, causing her to shudder. He raised his head to look at her and she felt her lungs seize at the unveiled desire she saw in his ebony eyes. "And I am _finally_ going to experience what it feels like to have my cock buried deep inside your pussy as you squeeze me like a vice, cumming all around me…" He shifted so he was straddling her legs with his. "Cumming _for_ me…" he braced himself by planting his fists on either side of her head as he looked down on her. "Cumming _because_ of me…" He lowered his lips towards hers, but didn't close the distance completely. Instead, he left several centimeters between them, so he could continue so speak. "Tonight, I am going to make you completely forget about every other man you've ever been with. Tonight, Bones, it begins…You're _mine_…and mine alone…" He challenged her with his eyes to fight him on his possessiveness. He knew she hated the whole ownership-thing that went along with monogamous relationships, but he was willing to tempt her wrath, because he wasn't backing down on this front. "I won't share you, Bones… With anyone…Ever…"

She struggled to control her breathing as she searched his eyes for any signs of malicious tendencies that she associated with blatant claims of ownership, but she found none. She found only desire, and devotion, and the promise that _he_ was _hers _in return. Satisfied with what she was witnessing, she smiled seductively and writhed to open her thighs for him, but found that he had her pinned beneath his much-stronger legs as he sat astride hers.

Recognizing her acceptance of his proposal, he sat back on his heels and stared at her unabashedly. "You are fucking gorgeous, Bones… Un-fucking-believable… that's what you are…" His eyes raked over her body as she lay as still as possible while trying to control the excited vibrations radiating through her body.

"I like it when you swear like that, Booth… I never liked it when I heard someone talk like that… but when I hear you say it like _that_…Mmm…" Her honesty was clear for him to see, and he appreciated her candor.

"Well, I don't always swear in bed, Bones…But that's good to know." He grinned as he continued to study her body. He ran his fingertips, in mirror images to each other, up her thighs and over her hip bones, outlining the protruding skeletal structure as he moved. She was thin, but not too thin; he could see her hip bones when she was lying on her back, sprawled out for him like this, and he liked that… He then traced one palm over her flat tummy, pausing to dip one thick finger into her delectable bellybutton, drawing a giggle from her. Filing that little piece of information away for later use, Booth continued touching her, learning her, exciting her…

He watched as his strokes caused goose bumps to erupt on her otherwise perfectly smooth skin, and he listened as his caresses pulled moans and hums of approval from her sultry alto voice. All of these details and reactions were mentally catalogued and stored for future reference, as she allowed him to touch her intimately, as no man had ever bothered to do before. He reached up, grabbing her wrists carefully and pulled them over her head, pressing them into the pillow. "One day, I am going to tie you up, Bones…" he spoke right next to her ear, letting his breath tickle her skin as it glanced along the surface. "I am going to take your pretty little wrists and wrap one of my silk ties around them, and torture you until you can't take any more…"

"ahh…nnggg…" she groaned in response, immediately feeling herself grow wetter, as if that were even possible…

Leaving her hands against the pillow, Booth dragged his fingers down her arms until he was cupping her pert breasts, admiring their perfect fit in his palms. He was fighting his baser instinct to simply shuck his boxers and slam into her, making her his own in the most primal way imaginable. But he wanted her to experience what it was to 'make love' versus to simply 'have sex', so he reined himself into control, determined to ensure her satisfaction before he could even consider his own.

Bending over, he took one perfect pink nipple into his mouth while tugging on her other with his fingers. He tugged and sucked at her repeatedly, sharing his attention between both breasts until her hands finally shot down from their spot on the pillow and fisted his short hair, pulling his head back up to her mouth, so she could thrust her tongue into his warmth. He smiled into the kiss, knowing that she'd lost a little bit of her ever-present control simply by his ministrations on her perfect tits, and he groaned when her blunt fingernails bit into his bare shoulders as she fought for purchase on his body.

Brennan once again tried to spread her legs so he would settle between them, but he still had her confined by his own sexy thighs. "Booth…" she moaned against his mouth. "Please…"

He nodded, understanding what she needed and framed her face tenderly. "Relax, Bones. I want you to enjoy this." He slowly backed away, nipping at her breasts once more as he passed then and she arched up to meet him eagerly. When he was passing over her tummy, he paused and gave her irresistible bellybutton a slow, warm French kiss, once again memorizing the delicious sounds that were emanating from somewhere deep inside her chest. When she thrust her hips upward again, he got the hint and continued his journey.

Finally freeing her legs from beneath his, Booth held his breath as her thighs fell open for him immediately, another silent testimony to the amount of trust she was bestowing upon him. Settling his shoulders between her parted knees, Booth ran one thick finger along her bare folds, admiring how beautiful she was. "This is nice, Bones…_bare_…and soft…" She bucked against his finger, causing it to press against her clit before he had intended, gathering moisture as they moved. "Jesus Christ, Bones… You're fucking soaked…" He felt his cock twitch in anticipation as he pressed it against the mattress while lying on his stomach at his perch just below her dripping core.

Unable to wait any longer, and frankly unwilling to let her become any more riled, for fear she'd get pissed at him, he gathered enough juice on his fore- and middle fingers, growling at her breathless reactions to his touches, and plunged his fingers deep into her waiting sex.

"Yessss!" Brennan rotated against him immediately, pressing her hips down toward his hand, trying to get him as deep as possible. It'd been so long for her… So long since she had someone other than herself to take her over the edge, and she knew it wouldn't be long with his skillful fingers dipping into her as he built the perfect rhythm, before she plummeted into the abyss. She let herself get lost in the feel. No one had ever taken this kind of time with her… The kissing…the stroking…the spoken _and_ unspoken promises… And now, the devout attention he was giving to her, focusing on her pleasure before his own… Just as she had always suspected, Booth was a selfless lover.

She about came off the bed completely when, on a particularly deep thrust of his thick fingers, his tongue came into contact with her clit. She lifted her head from the pillow, intent to see him as he pressed against her with his mouth, but it was all too much. She speared her wiry fingers into his short hair, holding him in place as she met his tempo, raising her hips to meet his hand and mouth. He raised his blackened eyes and met hers, and in that split second, she felt the unmistakable coil unwinding as she shattered beneath his touch, beneath his lips.

"Booooothhhh…." She groaned, letting his name drip from her lips in a low, guttural sound.

He suckled and drank everything she had to offer to him, licking her clean as his fingers stroked her inner-walls, letting her ride out her powerful orgasm. After several moments, as her hips slowed their involuntary movements, he withdrew his fingers slowly, as he rested on his elbows, watching her from below. When she met his gaze, he lifted his fingers, ensuring she was watching as he licked his hand clean of her nectar, not wasting one perfect drop. At seeing his actions, Brennan felt her throat close, stopping her from breathing momentarily, in awe.

"You…Bones…" He started to crawl up her body, dragging his lips and tongue along her skin as he moved. "I gave up gambling for you, years ago…knowing that I had to be better than that if I ever was going to have a shot with you… I had to shake my addiction…" He nipped her hips, her tummy, the valley of her breasts… "But now…I have a new addiction…and it's _you_, baby…" When he reached the hollow of her throat, he pressed his tongue there again, feeling the pressure of her still-racing heart.

She reached for her cheeks, palming them and turning his face up to meet hers. She could feel her own slick juices on his skin and when she kissed him, tasting herself on his lips and tongue, he groaned in arousal.

Mumbling against his open mouth, she pleaded with him, knowing at this point he'd do anything for her… "Make love to me, Booth…I want to feel you inside me."

He pulled back and met her large eyes; her pupils were dilated with desire and the blues were darker than he'd ever seen. "I just have to get-" he started reaching for his bedside drawer, but she stopped him as his arm shot out.

"Booth, I'm clean…and I believe you are too…"

"I am, I just had my annual physical," he said, comprehending what she was saying immediately.

She nodded; she knew he was safe. "Nothing between us…if that's OK with you, Booth. Please… It's OK…"

Booth thought his head was going to explode. A dream come true…that's what she was offering to him. "Are you sure, Bones? I'm fine with it, but I wanna make sure you're-"

She cut him off with her mouth as she slanted it over his in an immediate deep kiss. Brennan wrapped her legs around his waist and grabbed his boxers with her toes, pulling them down as she stretched her legs out straight once more.

"Booth… I want to feel you… all of you." She mumbled against his neck as she moved along his jaw towards the soft area below his mandible. "I've never let anyone…" she gulped, gathering her thoughts as she nuzzled. "Booth, I want you to do this…but only if you're comfortable also…"

"Fuck yeah…" He nudged her thighs with his hips, pushing them apart further to accommodate his width and met her eyes once more. "Bones…" He said her name just _because_, and he reached his hand between them, stroking her once to make sure she was ready for him so soon. _So Goddamn wet…__still__…fucking-A,_ his thoughts ran rampant as he pressed two fingers completely into her once more. He pulled out and coated his throbbing cock with her moisture, giving himself one solid yank while never taking his eyes off hers.

As he positioned his head just inside her heat, he waited, silently asking her permission to continue; and she understood. With a nearly imperceptible nod, she pressed her hips up to meet his as he pushed into her tightness.

He groaned.

She moaned.

And after letting her adjust to his girth, he began to move – only slightly at first, because he knew that she hadn't been with anyone for a long time…As far as he knew, she hadn't been with a man since they'd been back in the States, and before they went their separate ways, she hadn't dated anyone in several months. Once she started to pick up the pace, he knew it was safe to begin to lose himself in the sensation of what it was to be buried deep inside her sweet, hot sheath.

"Oh, God, Bones…" He braced himself on his elbows, cradling her head with his forearms and hands. "You feel so good, baby…Better than I ever imagined…" He set an easy pace, trying to make it last as long as possible, but pressing deep so he was balls-deep with every plunge.

"Booth…" she panted as she bent her knees, so her feet were flat on the mattress, giving her the leverage to meet his movements thrust for thrust. "Booth…move faster…_more_… please…" She guided him in her wishes, increasing the pace so he understood. It only took a couple of bucks against him before he picked up the pace to where she needed it. "Yeah…" She pressed her lips against his throat, because that was the only place she could reach as he pressed her head into the crook of his neck.

Pulling back so he could look at her while they moved, he was overcome with sudden emotion…the kind of which he was not expecting, and he felt the sting of tears behind his eyes. "Bones…" He searched her blues for something he didn't even know he was seeking.

Without warning, his hips started to increase the speed at which he was thrusting in and out of her and soon, he was pounding into her wet heat with such force that she could feel his head pressing against her cervix with each plunge. She lost herself in the feel of his size as he spread her from within, at the speed of his driving force as his hips met hers repeatedly, and in the sheer fact that he was the first man she was about to permit to cum inside her without the protection of a condom. The raw intimacy was so much more than she had expected and she met his wet eyes with tears of her own.

He smiled as he fisted her hair in his hands. "I love you, Bones… I love you so much."

That was all it took. The combination of the physical contact mixed with the deep emotional attachment she felt to her partner sent her pummeling over the ledge. Squeezing him with a force she didn't even know she possessed, she writhed as she rode out her second orgasm of the night.

He watched…he learned…he memorized…and he pounded…_harder_. Once he recognized that she was coming down from her high, he knew he couldn't wait any longer. He knew she understood because he could feel her brace herself as she reached her arms around his waist and dropped her hands to his strong ass muscles.

"Yes, Booth…" she arched up to meet him. "Take me…Take it however you need to, Booth. Don't hold back…"

That was all the permission he needed. He felt the tight rein he'd been gripping loosen and his rhythm faltered as he picked up the speed and pressure until he was pounding into her deep, hard and without a steady tempo. Needing more, he lowered his head and found that sweet skin just where her shoulder met her neck and he bit down gently, immediately following the sting of his teeth with a soft lick and a harder suck. He knew it was wrong…but he was about to mark her, and he couldn't stop himself.

Sucking hard, Booth pulled the skin into his mouth, sucking in time with his thrusts until he was at the precipice. _Just a couple more thrusts_, he thought to himself… _just a couple more_…

"I love you, Booth…Oh, my God… I love you… Cum for me…"

Her husky voice, her demanding order and her confession of love did to him what he'd done to her and he came. He emptied himself in white hot streams, shooting deep inside of her body as he tilted her hips so high against him that she was almost perpendicular to his body. He pressed…and pushed…and groaned until he had nothing left. "Bonessss… Fucking incredible…" He muttered against her skin as he tried to catch his breath. He couldn't remember ever feeling so intense…so out of control…so goddamn incredible…

He didn't want to crush her, but his arms were about to give out beneath his weight. He rolled to the side, pulling her with him so she settled against his chest as she draped her leg over his hips, molding her body to his completely.

"That was amazing, Booth… I think we did it… I think we broke the laws of physics." She smiled against his strong pec as she traced random shapes across his sweaty skin.

"Yeah…" Booth still hadn't caught his breath. "Just think, Bones…this is just the beginning. Imagine how incredible we're going to be after we've had some practice…"

"Mmm…" she stretched up and kissed his pronounced Adams Apple, feeling it bob beneath her lips as he swallowed thickly. "Do you think we can practice again in tonight?" She smiled devilishly.

"_Jesus_, Bones… let a guy catch his breath, huh?" He smiled down at her, cringing lightly when he saw the bite mark he'd left on her neck. "I'm sorry, Bones…" he carefully ran his finger along the skin that was quickly turning purple.

"That's OK, Booth... I kind of liked it… But you know turnabout is fair game." She smiled, knowing she'd be marking him before the sun came up that morning.

"Fair _play_, Bones…turnabout is fair _play_…" he grinned. "And I'm looking forward to it." He pulled the sheet up to cover their cooling bodies before they drifted off into a sated nap, wrapping his arm around her possessively as she nuzzled into his side. "Love you, Bones… Get some rest. You're gonna need it."

**Postscript A/N**

**Please take a moment to review what you read here. The only way a writer knows if what they're writing is liked or hated is to receive a review, so I look forward to hearing from you! **

**Happy Birthday, once again dharmamonkey. I hope you liked your present! **

**hugs!**

**Peace & love, my friends, **

**~jazzy**


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